Author: Vardiafrica

Close partnership and collaboration among African oil and gas producing countries are some of the strategies that would enable sustainable development of Africa’s oil industry, according to discussants at the Africa Content Forum, a segment at the 2025 Africa Oil Week holding in Accra, Ghana. The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe delivered the keynote address at the forum. Represented by the Director Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, the Executive Secretary pointed out that no single African country can fully develop its local content potentials and support her the oil and gas industry…

FIFA has officially opened disciplinary proceedings against the South African Football Association (SAFA) for allegedly fielding an ineligible player Teboho Mokoena during a 2026 World Cup qualifier. The charge stems from South Africa’s match against Lesotho, in which midfielder Mokoena participated despite being under a mandatory one-match suspension. The suspension was for accumulating two yellow cards in previous qualifiers against Benin and Zimbabwe. The issue was initially raised by other nations in Group C, including Nigeria, Benin, and Lesotho, who questioned FIFA’s silence on the matter. The charges were formally announced one week after South Africa’s crucial 1-1 draw with…

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched a centralised passport personalisation system capable of producing up to 5,000 passports every day, a significant jump from the previous 250–300 capacity at multiple centres. Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the development on Thursday during an inspection of the new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS headquarters in Abuja. He described it as a game-changing reform for passport processing in Nigeria. For the first time in 62 years, NIS is operating a single central passport production hub. This project is 100 per cent ready, and it will allow Nigeria to…

Ukrainian drones on Thursday hit a major Russian oil refinery some 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) from the front line, triggering a fire, officials from both countries said. The strike is the latest in a wave of drone attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure as Kyiv seeks to knock out Russia’s vital energy revenues that fund its army. A source in Ukraine’s SBU security agency said its drones had hit “the heart” of a refinery in the central Bashkortostan region run by state-controlled energy giant Gazprom. Unverified images on Russian social media showed a fire at the facility and a plume of…

After six months of suspension, the Rivers State House of Assembly reconvened on Monday in Port Harcourt, emphasizing the need to ascertain the budget received and spent by the outgone Military Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (Rtd). The legislature reconvened after the expiration of the six-month emergency rule slammed on the executive and legislature by the President. The legislature which said the resolution is important because the 10th Assembly did not make any input into the budget prepared by National Assembly. also resolved to outline the legislative agenda for the remaining two years, promising to work with Governor Siminalayi Fubara…

The Federal Government has officially reintroduced Nigerian History as a compulsory subject across all levels of basic education—from Primary 1 to Senior Secondary School 3. This marks a major shift in the national curriculum, 16 years after the subject was removed in 2009 under the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua administration. The move is designed to: The Ministry of Education calls this reform a “priceless gift to the nation,” aimed at reconnecting future generations with Nigeria’s rich past.

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe,on Tuesday acknowledged the advanced capabilities and proven track record of a leading indigenous service company, West African Ventures (WAV) Nigeria Limited, noting that the firm and others well established Nigerian companies need to pivot to the deepwater segment of oil and gas operations where vast opportunities exist. Speaking during a facility tour of the WAV Fabrication Yard, Machine Shop, and jetties at the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT), Onne, in Rivers State, the Executive Secretary revealed that he awarded the company their first offshore pipe-laying…

The president and First Lady Melania Trump stepped out of ornate carriages inside the castle’s scenic quadrangle, before an inspection of troops on perfectly-prepared lawns. Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales were also there to welcome the US visitors, as a band played the Stars and Stripes in this royal charm offensive, which has seen gifts, parades and a flypast. Trump’s historic second state visit has already been a crowded mix of royal pageantry, trade talks and international politics. There seemed to be friendly moments between the King and President Trump as they watched the ceremonial parade.…

President Bola Tinubu has announced the suspension of emergency rule in Rivers State, which began six months ago. Tinubu, who announced this in a statement he signed on Wednesday, explained that from the intelligence available to him, there was a new spirit of understanding, “a robust readiness, and potent enthusiasm on the part of all the stakeholders in Rivers State for an immediate return to democratic governance”. This, he said, was undoubtedly a welcome development for him and a remarkable achievement for the country. “I therefore do not see why the state of emergency should exist a day longer than…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has restated its commitment to the promotion of literacy and digital education to ensure a holistic development of the Niger Delta region. Speaking during a seminar to mark the 2025 International Literacy Day at the Justice Mary Odili Judicial Institute, Port Harcourt, the NDDC Director in the Directorate of Education, Health and Social Services, Dr Awele Chukwudifo, said the purpose was to raise awareness among youths in the Niger Delta region on the critical role of literacy in personal and societal development. The event followed a sensitisation walk held on September 8, 2025, the…