Author: Vardiafrica

The Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Alli Bello, and one Daudu Suleiman have been re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for allegedly diverting about N100 billion belonging to the state government in September 2015. The immediate past governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, was also indicted in the fraud allegation said to have been committed months before he assumed office as governor. However, Bello and Suleman pleaded not guilty to the 17 counts amended charge before Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Abuja. Earlier, Bello’s counsel, Abubakar Aliyu, had objected to the reading…

President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a letter to the House of Representatives seeking the repeal and reenactment of the Student Loan Bill. During plenary on Thursday, the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, read the letter transmitting the Student Loans Repeal and Enactment Bill from the President. According to the letter, President Tinubu explained that the request for repeal of the Student Loans Act 2023 and a fresh enactment is to address some challenges with the earlier Act and to enhance the implementation of the student loan scheme by his administration. “Pursuant to Section 58(2) of the Constitution of The…

The military has vowed to rescue the over 200 schoolchildren who were recently abducted by bandits in Kaduna State. While addressing a press conference in Abuja on the activities of the Armed Forces in the last two weeks, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, says the military is committed to rescuing all kidnapped victims unhurt. The defence spokesman during the Thursday event, however, blamed school owners for failing to report cases of abduction to security agencies on time. He also blamed the recent kidnapping of some internally displaced persons in Gamboru-Ngala, Borno State on their disobedience…

President Bola Tinubu has said that no ransom will be paid for the rescue of the children abducted from Kuriga in Kaduna State. The President stated this today at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting which held at the Presidential Villa Abuja. Briefing State House Correspondents after the FEC meeting, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammad Idris, said President Tinubu also reiterated his directive to the defence to ensure that the children are rescued and brought back safely to their homes He also said the President made his stance against payment of ransom to kidnappers and that the…

The House of Representatives has mandated its Committees on Solid Minerals Development, Commerce, Industry and Special Duties to investigate the arbitrary increase in the price of cement by manufacturers in the country like Dangote Cement and BUA Cement.  This followed a motion by a lawmaker, Jonathan Gaza. A 50kg bag of cement is currently sold for N10,000 in most parts of the country, about 100% increase from its initial price of N5,000 in the last three months. Cement manufacturers in Nigeria had met government representatives in February and agreed to bring down the price of the product to between N7,000 and…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made a substantial contribution to the agricultural sector by donating over 2 million bags of fertilizers, with a total value of N100 billion, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to farmers. Yemi Cardoso, the Governor of the CBN, delivered the bags of fertilizers to Abubakar Kyari, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, during a ceremony on Wednesday in Abuja. According to Cardoso, the donation corresponds with the fundamental objective of both the apex bank and the agriculture ministry, which centers on food security. He mentioned that the initiative not…

The Senate on Wednesday convened a private meeting with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, and the Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igwe. This meeting was prompted by summons issued by the Senate two weeks prior, requesting their briefing on security matters within the FCT, following a recent kidnap incident at the Galadima area of the Abuja metropolis. The Senate had reached this decision following a motion put forward by Senator Nwoko, Ned Munir, representing Delta North. Senator Nwoko emphasized the urgent necessity of bolstering security measures within the FCT. Wike and the Police Commissioner are…

President Bola Tinubu has directed the opening of Nigeria’s land and air borders with the Republic of Niger and the lifting of other sanctions against the country with immediate effect. This directive is in compliance with the decisions of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at its extraordinary summit on February 24, 2024, in Abuja. ECOWAS leaders had agreed to lift economic sanctions against the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. According to a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the President directed that the…

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Wednesday administered the oath of office to 17 Commissioners of the National Population Commission at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja. The brief exercise took place before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by the President. Nine of the Commissioners were re-appointed and sworn-in for the second term while 8 others, who are fresh appointment were also sworn-in. The oath taking process of the commissioners were conducted in three batches of six, six and five. Recall that the Senate had recently confirmed the nomination and reappointment of the 17 commissioners of…

The federal government says it is still making adjustments to the student loan policy. Akintunde Sawyer, the executive secretary of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELF), told Arise TV on Tuesday that the body would not be able to commit to a specific launch date for now. President Bola Tinubu, in June 2023, signed the Access to Higher Education Law to grant indigent students access to interest-free loans, enabling them to pursue their education in any government-run tertiary institution. The scheme was slated to commence between September and October 2023. However, this was deferred. There was a revised timeline for…