Author: Vardiafrica

The federal government has announced the signing of a major engineering, procurement, construction and financing (EPC&F) contract with China Machinery Engineering Company (CMEC) group worth US$328,818,916.99 to boost power supply across Nigeria. Minister of Power Chief Adebayo Adelabu, while speaking, Wednesday, at the signing ceremony in Abuja, said the project will ensure the rehabilitation and extensive construction of 330 kV and 132 kV transmissions. Adebayo stated that the project with a load capacity of 7,140 megawatts will act as the arteries that carry the increased power generated through Nigeria’s midstream transmission projects directly to the homes, businesses, and industries, adding that the…

U.S. immigration authorities have announced that they will review social media accounts and deny visas or residence permits to individuals who post content deemed anti-Semitic by the Trump administration. This includes social media activity supporting militant groups classified by the United States as terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Huthi insurgents. The policy follows the Trump administration’s controversial decision to cancel visas for certain students already in the U.S., despite the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of speech. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made it clear that individuals advocating anti-Semitic violence or terrorism would not be welcomed into…

Former President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that he left office with the same physical assets he had when he assumed the presidency on May 29, 2015. In a statement on Wednesday, Buhari’s media aide, Garba Shehu, revealed that the former president made the remark during a meeting with members of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) at his residence in Kaduna. According to Shehu, Buhari advised the members of the Progressive Governors Forum to adopt a citizen-centric approach, saying that “leadership presents both a challenge and opportunity, and that balancing the two would significantly advance national progress.” He added that the…

The Federal Government is stepping up its border security efforts with the introduction of automated landing and exit cards for foreign travellers. In a joint media briefing in Abuja, Ministers of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced that the initiative is part of Nigeria’s broader e-Visa solutions aimed at eliminating travel bottlenecks and enhancing national security. According to the ministers, the new system developed in collaboration with the Nigeria Immigration Service, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority will take effect from May 1, 2025. Mr. Keyamo said the initiative…

The Labour Party (LP) has held its national executive council (NEC) meeting in Abuja following ongoing controversy over the supreme court judgment on the party’s leadership crisis. The meeting, which took place on Wednesday at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, was presided over by Nenadi Usman, a former minister of finance and current chairperson of the party’s caretaker committee. In attendance were key figures within the party, including Peter Obi, LP’s 2023 presidential candidate; Datti Baba-Ahmed, his running mate; and Alex Otti, Abia state governor. Also present were Olumide Akpata and Athan Achonu, the party’s governorship candidates for Edo state…

The Federal Government says its naira-for-crude initiative with local refineries is not a temporary measure but a “key policy directive designed to support sustainable local refining”. The government also said the initiative is still in effect and will continue immediately, overruling the decision of the NNPCL under its former boss Mele Kyari which tenured the initiative. The Minister of Finance Wale Edun at a meeting with representatives of the Dangote Refinery on Tuesday said the naira-for-crude is still in effect In a post on its official X handle on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance said the Technical Sub-Committee on the…

Meta is introducing Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger. The feature, which automatically enrolls young users into an app experience with built-in protections, will be available on these platforms in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada before expanding to additional regions in the future. Teen Accounts first rolled out to Instagram last September after Instagram and other popular social networks were grilled by U.S. lawmakers for not doing enough to protect teens. As part of Tuesday’s announcement, Meta said it’s bringing new built-in protections for Teen Accounts on Instagram. With the expansion to Facebook and Messenger, teens will automatically be placed into an experience…

Niger’s junta has adopted Hausa as the national language in the place of French in a further break from Paris, its former colonial master. Since overthrowing civilian president Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, Niger’s military rulers have severed relations with France, kicking out French soldiers and renaming streets and monuments that bore French names. “The national language is Hausa” and “the working languages are English and French”, said a new charter published in a special edition of the official journal on March 31. Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso — all former French colonies now ruled by juntas — have quit the…

Eleven governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court, challenging the powers of President Bola Tinubu to suspend the elected Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, or declare a state of emergency in the state. The suit, filed on Tuesday through the Attorneys-General of their respective states, marks a significant constitutional face-off between the federal and state governments over the limits of presidential powers in Nigeria’s democratic structure. The governors who are plaintiffs in the case are from Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara,…

Poised for a 70 per cent mark in Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry by 2027, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Monday teamed up with Nigeria’s leading global brand in gas liquefaction, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, to broaden the scope for participation of community vendors in the industry value chain. At a workshop themed “NLNG Community Vendors Capacity Development Programme,” attended by no fewer than 90 contractors drawn from oil- and gas-producing communities, the full gamut of industry operations in the upstream, midstream and downstream as well as opportunities was spotlighted by…