Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Tinubu on Monday warned judicial officers across the country, insisting that justice must remain sacred and insulated from corruption, declaring bluntly that “justice must never be for sale.” Speaking at the opening of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference of the Superior Courts in Abuja, Tinubu said the Judiciary must purge itself of compromise, insisting that corruption within the Bench strikes at the very foundation of the Nigerian state. The event, attended by top judicial officers, senior government officials, and members of the legal community, provided yet another opportunity for the President to fault the slow pace of…

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday apologised to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians following the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals. Nigeria lost to DR Congo on penalties in a tightly contested African play-off final on Sunday in Rabat, Morocco, shattering the Super Eagles’ hopes of featuring at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. In a statement posted on its official X handle on Monday, the NFF described the defeat as “a moment of profound sadness for Nigerian football.” It noted that missing out on the World Cup…

The Federal Government has officially opened the application portal for the Student Venture Capital Grant (S-VCG), a groundbreaking national initiative aimed at transforming student-driven ideas into commercially viable and high-impact ventures. The S-VCG forms a central pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda and is designed to cultivate a new generation of Nigerian innovation entrepreneurs capable of redefining the nation’s economic future. In a statement on Monday by the Director of Press, Folasade Boriowo, speaking at the announcement, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, underscored the national importance of the initiative. “The president has challenged us to look for the…

The UK government on Monday threatened visa bans on three African countries unless they accept the returns of irregular migrants, as the interior minister was set to announce sweeping changes to the asylum system. Britain said it would stop granting visas to nationals from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless the countries accepted the returns of “their criminals and illegal immigrants”, the interior ministry said in a statement. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood was expected later on Monday to announce what has”most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times”. been touted by the government as the…

Bandits have reportedly abducted 25 students from the Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School (GGCSS) in Maga, Kebbi State. It was gathered that the girls were whisked away during an attack by the gunmen on Sunday night at the school located in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of the state. According to sources, the attackers killed the school’s Vice Principal, Malam Hassan Makuku, before abducting several schoolgirls. Witnesses said the bandits operated without resistance and caused widespread panic, throwing the entire region into deep fear and mourning. Makuku was reportedly shot while attempting to protect the students during the invasion.…

Eric Chelle, Super Eagles head coach, has accused the DR Congo team of “doing voodoo” during the penalty shootouts of the African World Cup playoffs final. The Super Eagles will miss the 2026 World Cup after losing to DR Congo 4-3 on penalties. The match had ended 1-1 after extra time. Calvin Bassey, Moses Simon and Semi Ajayi all missed their penalties, and Chancel Mbemba scored the winning kick for the Congolese to send them into the intercontinental playoffs. After the winning penalty, Chelle was seen confronting the DR Congo bench, and he had to be held back before the…

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has threatened a nationwide shutdown, following an alleged attack on the staff of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). A statement by its Acting General Secretary, Dominic Igwebike, said the decision became necessary after workers on duty at Egbu 132/33kV Transmission Substation, Imo State, were allegedly beaten, held hostage at gunpoint, and some were abducted by armed police officers, said to be acting on the orders of the state. The police officers reportedly entered the substation’s control rooms by force, vandalising equipment and disrupting operations. Workers on duty were allegedly held at gunpoint,…

Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup were shattered on Sunday night after the Super Eagles fell 4–3 on penalties to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a tense CAF World Cup qualification playoff final in Rabat, Morocco. The match had ended 1–1 after extra time. The heartbreaking defeat means Nigeria will miss a second consecutive World Cup, having also failed to qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar. The result sends the DRC’s Leopards into the intercontinental playoffs in March, keeping their World Cup aspirations alive. The Super Eagles made the perfect start, taking the lead…

The Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, on Thursday commended Tamrose Limited, a leading indigenous marine logistics and offshore support company, for utilizing the loan facility from the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund to grow its fleet and expand operations to Angola in Southern Africa and elsewhere on the continent. Speaking at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), Swali, Yenagoa, the Minister expressed happiness that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) through its US$350 million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCIF), has been part of the success story of Tamrose. The company had accessed a US$10…

The 9th Award and Prize-giving Ceremony of the NCDMB Annual National Undergraduate Essay Competition came to a close on Friday at the Nigerian Content Tower, Yenagoa, with 16-year-old Miss Josephine Oyinkansola Akande, of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, emerging overall winner. The 200-level medical student, who hails from Osun State, defeated nine other finalists to clinch the first prize of N1 million (one million naira) and an HP Laptop, among other items. The first runner-up, 23-year-old Mr. Sonuga Sultan Opeyemi, also a 200-level medical student of Federal University of Technology, Akure, received N700,000 and an HP Laptop, while the second runner-up,…