Author: Vardiafrica

Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has directed the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU) to expedite action on the disbursement of Federal Government’s ₦250 billion credit support for smallholder farmers at a single-digit interest rate. Accordingly, he told the PFSCU to come up with an implementation roadmap for the disbursement of the funds, saying it was necessary to avoid further delays and ensure that the target beneficiaries of the initiative were reached. Senator Shettima gave the directive on Thursday during the 6th meeting of the PFSCU Steering Committee, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. “On the Bank of Agriculture ₦250…

The much-awaited free direct supply of premium motor spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol, to retainers, petrol stations and other large consumers by Dangote Refinery will commenced on Monday, September 15, 2025. The initiative by the private crude oil refiner based in Lagos was earlier scheduled to begin on Friday, August 15, 2025, but due to logistics issues, it did not start. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Dangote Group on Thursday night, it was disclosed that the programme will finally kick-off next Monday. Dangote Refinery planned to execute this free fuel delivery across the nation with 4,000 CNG-powered…

In another bold move to reform the educational system in Nigeria, the Federal Government is now wielding the big stick, insisting that secondary school teachers in the country must obtain proper certification, otherwise schools that employ them won’t be allowed to serve as an examination centre. In a policy directive issued Sept 11, 2025 and addressed to the Registrar/Chief Executive Officer of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa disclosed that “the Federal Ministry of Education has directed that in line with Government policy to strengthen professionalism in the teaching profession, the accreditation…

Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, and former President Goodluck Jonathan met to discuss the “state of the nation”. In a post on X, Obi said he and the former president discussed the state of the nation during their meeting, which was held in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Thursday. “Today in Abuja, I met with my very dear elder brother, statesman, and leader, former President Goodluck Jonathan,” Obi wrote. “We had a fruitful closed-door meeting and discussed the state of our dear nation.” The meeting comes amid growing speculation that Jonathan may run for president in…

The Federal Government has revoked the 5% excise tax previously imposed on telecommunications services in Nigeria, with the step expected to ease cost pressures for millions of mobile users. Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida, disclosed that President Bola Tinubu directed the removal of the tax during discussions on the recently passed Finance Act. The tax, which was intended to apply to both voice calls and data, had drawn widespread criticism from industry players and consumer advocates since its introduction under the late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. The development is expected to bring relief to…

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has accused the Dangote Group of backtracking on an agreement that granted tanker drivers the right to unionise, announcing the resumption of its suspended strike. The development comes barely 48 hours after both parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that outlined concessions on workers’ rights, including recognition of unionisation at Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals. The agreement had stated: “Since workers’ unionisation is a right in line with the provisions of the extant laws, the management of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals agreed to the unionisation of employees of Dangote Refinery…

Chelsea have been charged by the Football Association with 74 alleged rule breaches related to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022. The charges are primarily focused on transfers between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons. Three deals that form part of the investigation involved Eden Hazard, Samuel Eto’o and Willian. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of those players. Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich was in control of the club from 2003 to 2022, before selling Chelsea to a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital. The alleged rule breaches concern…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on Qatar to expel representatives of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, one day after targeting the Islamist organization’s leadership in Doha. Netanyahu said the attacks were carried out against the planners of the October 7, 2023 massacres in Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. “I say to Qatar and all nations who harbour terrorists: you either expel them or you bring them to justice,” said Netanyahu. “Because if you don’t, we will.” The prime minister further accused Qatar of providing Hamas leaders with a safe haven, funding and luxurious villas. The comments…

A group of 14 West Africans deported from the U.S. arrived in Ghana, the country’s president said. The country joins Eswatini, Rwanda and South Sudan as African countries that have received migrants from third countries who were deported from the U.S., a controversial approach whose legality lawyers for the deportees have questioned. “We agreed with (Washington) that West African nationals were acceptable because all our fellow West African nationals don’t need a visa to come to our country,” President John Mahama told reporters late Wednesday. The deportees had arrived in the country and included Nigerian and Gambian nationals who planned to return to their countries,…

Qatar’s prime minister intensified his criticism of Israel over its attack targeting Hamas leaders in his country, saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “killed any hope” of releasing hostages still held in the Gaza Strip. The comments from Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani ahead of appearing at the United Nations on Thursday underscored the wider anger among Gulf Arab countries over Israel’s strike, which killed at least six people. “I was meeting one of the hostage’s families the morning of the attack,” Sheikh Mohammed told CNN in an interview aired late Wednesday. “They are counting on this (ceasefire) mediation, they have…