Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has charged the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, to continue to deliver impactful projects that touch lives and give hope to the people of the Niger Delta region. The President, who was represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Chief Wale Edun, gave the charge at Ogbuku’s 50th Anniversary and unveiling of two Books in Abuja. The books entitled ‘Strategies and Imperatives for Developing Niger Delta’ and ‘Rethinking the Niger Delta’ were written by Ogbuku and other authors. He described Ogbuku as a transformational…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned of a possible nationwide strike, accusing the Federal Government of failing to honour longstanding agreements on the revitalisation and proper funding of Nigeria’s public universities Speaking during a press conference at the University of Jos on Thursday, ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, said lecturers have endured over two years of broken promises and delay tactics by the government. Piwuna listed unresolved issues to include the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, outstanding salary arrears, withheld promotions, and the welfare of retired lecturers. “The general public should also note that ASUU has written…

Uganda has agreed to receive migrants who do not qualify to remain in the United States, a foreign ministry official said Thursday, in Washington’s latest attempt to speed up deportations. US President Donald Trump’s administration has negotiated arrangements to send people to third countries, among them El Salvador and Eswatini, which have been fiercely criticised by rights groups. At roughly 1.7 million Uganda already hosts the largest refugee population in Africa, according to the United Nations, and is the latest east African country to announce such a deal with Washington, joining Rwanda and South Sudan. “The agreement is in respect of Third Country Nationals…

Africa has everything it takes to become a “renewable superpower”, United Nations head Antonio Guterres said on Aug 21, as he called for greater investment in green energy across the resource-rich continent. Mr Guterres spoke at a three-day development conference in Japan attended by African leaders, where Tokyo is offering itself as an alternative to China as African nations reel from a debt crisis exacerbated by Western aid cuts, conflict and climate change. “We must mobilise finance and technology, so that Africa’s natural wealth benefits African people, we must build a thriving renewables and manufacturing base across the continent,” he…

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has summoned 11 electricity distribution companies (Discos) to appear before it over an outstanding debt of N2.6 trillion owed to the federation account. The resolution was reached on Wednesday during an investigative hearing chaired by Representative Bamidele Salam, following a review of the 2021 Auditor General’s report. The session featured an appearance by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET) PLC, Johnson Akinnawo, who disclosed the scale of the liabilities According to NBET documents submitted to the Committee, as of September 30, 2020, the 11 Discos collectively owe N2.6…

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has commenced a review of remuneration packages for political, public and judicial office holders across the country. This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by the Head, Information and Public Relations Unit of the RMAFC, Mrs Maryam Yusuf. The Chairman of the Remuneration and Monetisation Committee, RMAFC, Mr Mohammed Usman, disclosed this at a retreat organised by the commission in Kano. Usman said that the importance of the assignment was for the growth of Nigeria’s governance structure. According to him, the review is aimed at harmonising reports in the bid to…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has faulted the approval of licences for new private universities by the Federal Government. The union, while recalling the recent seven-year moratorium announced by the government, questioned the rationale behind the new licences if access to university education in the country was not a problem. “ASUU also watched in awe as the Federal Government announced the seven-year moratorium; they proceeded to announce the establishment of nine new private universities. “If we agree that access is no longer an issue, why is the NUC giving more licenses to private universities? While ASUU acknowledges the…

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced plans to discontinue the disbursement of upkeep loans during school holidays. Beneficiaries of the student loan scheme, who currently receive a monthly ₦20,000 disbursement in addition to loans paid directly to institutions, will now only receive upkeep loans during active academic sessions. “In line with this directive, students shall only be entitled to upkeep loans for their current academic session. Upon the conclusion of an institution’s academic year, upkeep payments for that session shall automatically cease. Consequently, students who transition into a new academic year will no longer receive upkeep disbursements for the…

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday called for reforms at the United Nations (UN) to give Africa permanent representation on the security council. Speaking at the plenary session on peace and stability during the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, Tinubu argued that Africa deserves two permanent seats with full privileges. The President said the continent also deserves additional non-permanent seats in line with the Ezulwini consensus and Sirte declaration. “It is the view of Nigeria that Africa’s quest for fair and equitable representation in the UN Security Council is a just and fair demand,” Tinubu…

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered a temporary freezing of four accounts in Jaiz Bank linked to the former Group Chief Executive Officer, GCEO, of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, over alleged fraud. Justice Emeka Nwite issued the order while ruling on an ex parte motion filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and argued by its lawyer, Ogechi Ujam. Although the EFCC had urged the court to freeze the accounts for 60 days to enable it to conclude the ongoing investigation, Justice Nwite limited the tenure of the order to 30 days, which…