Author: Vardiafrica

French lawmakers are expected Monday to anchor the right to abortion in the country’s constitution, in a global first that has garnered overwhelming public support A congress of both houses of parliament in Versailles starting at 3:30 pm (1430 GMT) should find the three-fifths majority needed for the change after it overcame initial resistance in the right-leaning Senate. If congress approves the move, France will become the only country in the world to clearly protect the right to terminate a pregnancy in its basic law. President Emmanuel Macron pledged last year to include enshrine abortion — legal in France since…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said it has concluded a sale of government securities, issuing N1.053 Trillion (US$680 million) in short-term instruments as part of its liquidity management exercise. In a statement on Monday, the apex bank said investors were over-subscribed for the exercise which was completed on March 1, 2024. The CBN offered N500 Billion at the Open Market Operations (OMO) auction and oversubscribed, selling N1.053 Trillion, with 79% of the total bids, or the equivalent of US$530 million, coming from foreign investors. Friday’s auction was the first since the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting, which was followed…

President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to combating corruption and fostering a favorable business climate, encouraging Qatari investors to “report to him” if any Nigerian government official solicits a bribe from them. Tinubu said this in a statement during the Nigeria-Qatar Business and Investment Forum in Doha, on Sunday. He assured that his administration would take firm action against any entrenched interests within the nation that harm the confidence of investors in the Nigerian economy.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) wants the Federal Government to review the fuel subsidy removal policy owing to claims that Nigeria is still paying for it President Bola Tinubu had on his inauguration declared an end to the subsidy era, triggering a hike in the prices of petroleum across the country. But in recent times, the World Bank and the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Pinnacle Oil and Gas Limited Mr. Robert Dickerman claimed that the Federal Government is still paying subsidy for the product. Citing these claims, Falana in a Sunday statement called on the government…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, on Sunday in Doha, witnessed the signing of historic agreements between both nations, opening a gateway for leveraging the potential of mutual cooperation in pivotal sectors of education, enterprise development, investment promotion, youth empowerment, mining, tourism, and sports. This was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Sunday He said that before the signing ceremony at the Qatar Presidential Palace, President Tinubu assured his host of Nigeria’s preparedness to welcome investors into the…

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has announced a 90-day window for regularising import duties on specific categories of vehicles.The statement reads, “In a proactive move to enhance compliance and streamline import processes, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), under the directive of the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, is pleased to announce a 90-day window for regularizing import duties on specific categories of vehicles. “This initiative applies solely to vehicles imported into Nigeria where the requisite customs duty has not been fulfilled or vehicles detained due to undervaluation. “While we strive for inclusivity, it is important…

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has debunked reports circulating in some quarters that its warehouse was looted by some hoodlums in Abuja on Sunday. NEMA spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, in a statement on Sunday, confirmed that the looted warehouse is not affiliated with the agency, but sympathised with the owners of the looted facility. On Sunday, some residents of Abuja raided a warehouse belonging to the Federal Capital Territory’s Department of Agriculture, looting foodstuffs and other items stored in the facility. The FCT Agric secretariat’s Public Relations Officer, Zakari Aliyu, confirmed to Channels Television via text message that the looted…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over “the failure to probe the grim allegations that $3.4 billion loan obtained by Nigeria from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to finance the budget and respond to COVID-19 is missing, diverted or unaccounted for.” The allegations are contained in the recently published 2020 Nigeria’s annual audited report by the Auditor-General of the Federation. The suit was filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Andrew Nwankwo What SERAP is seeking In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/269/2024 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP…

As Nigeria battles contemporary and emerging security challenges, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, says the country will soon commence local production of arms, ammunition and other military hardware in line with the Federal Government’s commitment towards tackling insecurity in the country. The minister gave the hint on Thursday during a facility tour of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) headquarters in Kaduna State. He explained that the commitment is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the 2023 DICON Act which is aimed at local manufacturing of military hardware, noting that with the corporation’s level of hard…

The Federal Government announced on Saturday that the train services on the Port Harcourt to Aba route are expected to begin by the end of March. The announcement was made by Mr Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), during his visit to Port Harcourt for a test run of the recently reconstructed Eastern Narrow Gauge Rail line. Okhiria highlighted that workers are in the final stages of preparing the tracks, aiming to ensure the readiness for comprehensive train operations within the coming month. He shared his optimism about the contractor finishing the track ‘tampering’ process…