Author: Vardiafrica

Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has pledged his administration’s full support to collaborate with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to create jobs and empower youth and women across the state. Governor Fubara made the pledge on Thursday when he received the Director-General of the NDE, Silas Agara, and his delegation on a courtesy visit to Government House, Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The governor said his administration would work closely with the NDE to ensure that the various employment and empowerment programmes of the Federal Government reach more people in Rivers State. He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s efforts…

The Federal Government has released ₦2.3 billion for Batch 8 salary and promotion arrears to universities across the country, with staff expected to receive payments immediately. A statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Folasade Boriowo, quotes the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, as saying the disbursement was processed through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), reflecting the Tinubu Administration’s commitment to clearing inherited backlogs and improving staff welfare in tertiary institutions. Dr. Alausa added that the Ministry of Finance and the OAGF are finalizing the release of third party non statutory deductions and…

President Samia Suluhu Hassan had sought to solidify her position and silence criticism within her party in the virtually uncontested polls, with the main challengers either jailed or disqualified. In the run-up, rights groups condemned a “wave of terror” in the east African nation, which has seen a string of high-profile abductions that ramped up in the final days. A heavy security presence on Wednesday failed to deter hundreds protesting in economic hub Dar es Salaam and elsewhere, some singing: “We want our country back.” Unverified images on social media showed initially small protests escalated during the day with reports of police…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) on Wednesday announced that it has begun a detailed review of Nigeria’s three petroleum refineries, with a view to bringing them back online. In a post on his verified personal X handle Wednesday night, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the national oil company, Bayo Ojulari, stated that one of the options being explored by the NNPC is to search for technical equity partners to ‘high-grade or repurpose’ the facilities. Tagged: “Update on Our Refineries”, Ojulari stated that the NNPC continues to remain optimistic that the refineries will operate efficiently, despite current setbacks.…

President Donald Trump has called on US military leaders to resume testing nuclear weapons in order to keep pace with other countries such as Russia and China. “Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis,” he wrote on social media just before meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea. The US has more nuclear weapons than any other country, Trump said, with Russia second and China a “distant third”. It has not conducted nuclear testing since 1992. It comes just days after Trump…

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has directed banks, stockbrokers, and other financial institutions to begin deducting a 10% withholding tax on interest earned from short-term securities. According to a circular issued by the agency on Tuesday, October 28, the new directive covers interest on treasury bills, corporate bonds, promissory notes, and bills of exchange, with the tax to be deducted at the point of payment. This development represents a major policy shift, as such instruments were previously exempt from taxation to encourage investor participation. However, income from federal government bonds will remain exempt from the levy. FIRS explained that…

The House of Representatives has greenlit President Bola Tinubu’s request to borrow $2.35 billion in external funds to part-finance the 2025 budget deficit, while also approving a landmark $500 million sovereign sukuk issuance in the international capital market to boost infrastructure and diversify funding sources. The approvals came on Wednesday after the lower chamber adopted the report of its Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management. Lawmakers authorized N1.84 trillion (equivalent to $1.23 billion at the budget rate of N1,500/$1) as new external borrowing under the 2025 Appropriation Act, targeting the N9.28 trillion deficit. An additional $1.12 billion in bridge…

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the removal of persons convicted for kidnapping, drug trafficking, human trafficking, fraud, and unlawful possession of firearms from the list of beneficiaries under the federal government’s prerogative of mercy. A statement on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said Tinubu took the decision “following consultations with the Council of State and public opinion”. “Following consultations with the Council of State and public opinion on the matter, the President directed a further review of the initially approved list for consideration in furtherance of the President’s discretionary powers under Section…

The senate on Wednesday confirmed President Bola Tinubu’s nominees for the positions of service chiefs. Those confirmed are Olufemi Oluyede as chief of defence staff, Wahidi Shaibu as chief of army staff, Idi Abbas as chief of naval staff, and Kennedy Aneke as chief of air staff. Tinubu had, in a letter addressed to the upper chamber, requested the screening and confirmation of the nominees. The senate subsequently devoted its Wednesday plenary to the exercise, holding a closed-door session that lasted over two hours. During the session, lawmakers engaged the nominees on their plans to strengthen intelligence coordination, modernise military…

Russia has successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, defying U.S. President Donald Trump’s warnings with Moscow’s second test of a new nuclear weapons system in just a few days. Putin on Sunday oversaw a test of another advanced nuclear-capable weapon — the Burevestnik cruise missile, which he said had an “unlimited range.” Trump called that exercise not “appropriate.” “Yesterday, another test was conducted for another prospective system — the unmanned underwater device ‘Poseidon,’ also equipped with a nuclear power unit,” Putin said in televised remarks while visiting a military hospital treating Russian soldiers wounded in Ukraine. The Russian…