Author: Vardiafrica

Alleged terrorist negotiator, Tukur Mamu, standing trial for terrorism offences has applied to the Federal High Court in Abuja to transfer him out of the custody of the Department of the State Service (DSS). He pleaded with Justice Inyang Ekwo to vary the remand order against him for a remand at Kuje Prison instead of DSS custody. At the resumption of his trial, Mamu through his lawyer, Abdul Mohammed, alleged that the order of the court made on December 19, 2023, that he be allowed access to his physician for medical treatment was not complied with by the DSS. In…

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) says it does not have access to petroleum products. Queues resurfaced in fuel stations amid petrol scarcity, which led to an increase in transport costs.  On April 25, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited attributed the situation to logistics issues, assuring Nigerians that “they have been resolved”. Speaking on Monday during Channels TV’s the Morning Brief breakfast programme, Billy Gillis-Harry, PETROAN president, said there is still a delay in supply to retail outlets. “Well, from my perspective as a retail outlet owner and representing all the retail outlet owners who are members of PETROAN, I…

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, has announced a new minimum wage of N70,000 for civil servants in the state. The governor made the declaration on Monday while inaugurating the Labour House. Obaseki named the Labour House after Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north and former governor of the state. The new minimum wage regime in Edo will take effect from May 1, 2024, the governor said. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have been agitating for a new minimum wage for workers across states, on the back of economic reforms by the President Bola Tinubu administration.…

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has assured that any customer not currently enjoying 20 hours of electricity would not pay the new tariff. The minister stated this on Monday while appearing before the Senate Committee on Power, for a one-day investigative hearing on the need to halt the proposed increase in electricity tariff by eleven successor electricity distribution companies amid the biting economic situation in Nigeria. According to him, the government had introduced a new policy to save the drowning sector, assuring Nigerians that the pains were temporary. The clarification comes as electricity consumers grapple with the recent increase…

The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has deferred till the end of trial, its ruling on the application filed by the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to try him on the charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Through his lawyer, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olalekan Ojo, Emefiele submitted that he cannot be tried in the high court of any state in Nigeria for alleged acts of abuse of his office as this raises issues of constitutionality and legality. The former CBN…

Ministers of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Monday, appeared before the Senate Committee on Power, for a one-day investigative hearing on the need to halt the proposed increase in electricity tariff by eleven successor electricity distribution companies amid the biting economic situation in Nigeria. During the session, Chairman of the committee, Senator Eyinnnaya Abaribe raised the question of how customers were migrated from the previous customer classes of Residential (R1, R2, R3), Commercial (C1, C2) and Demand (D1, D2), to different bands. Abaribe requested to know if the band classification was under the provisions…

President Bola Tinubu says Nigeria’s investment environment operates on the principle of ‘a willing-buyer and willing-seller’, which ensures seamless access to capital for investors both within and outside the country.  The President gave the assurance on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during a meeting with the President and Chief Executive Officer of Samsung, Hong Namkoong, and the Chairman of Samsung Investment Global, Jungwook Kim. The meeting took place on the margins of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development. ”Nigeria is a very huge country with a huge and able population. We have…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja to represent President Bola Tinubu at the International Development Association (IDA21) Heads of State Summit taking place on Monday in Nairobi, Kenya. The high-level gathering to be hosted by Kenyan President, William Ruto, will see African leaders unite to call for an ambitious replenishment of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) concessional lending arm. A statement by Stanley Nkwocha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications Office of the Vice President says Shettima is expected to take a lead role in advocating for Nigeria’s vision of a transformative…

Tinubu spoke on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale. “Technology is the enemy of fraud, corruption, and irregularity. We have been working hard on improving technology. “There is always the initial resistance. Corruption, self-interest, and fraudulent activity will always be an enemy, but when you bend that curve, you will receive the benefit. The nation will receive the benefit,” the President said. Recounting how he deployed technology to enhance the revenue base of Lagos State as governor, President Tinubu said he ensured the collection and…

President Bola Tinubu has insisted that his administration’s decision to remove the petrol subsidy was very necessary to prevent the country from going bankrupt. Tinubu announced the removal of subsidy on petrol the day he was inaugurated into office with the popular “subsidy is gone” speech The action, however, made prices of commodities to rise through the roof, increasing hardship in the country which has made some of his critics condemn the subsidy removal as a policy not well thought out. But speaking as one of the panelists at the ongoing World Economic Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this morning,…