Author: Vardiafrica

Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili set a new women’s world record in the 150m event at the Adidas Atlanta City Games on Saturday, clocking an astonishing 15.85 seconds to eclipse the previous record by almost four seconds. The 22-year-old Port Harcourt-born athlete delivered a commanding performance that drew admiration from spectators and fellow athletes. Her time shattered the seven-year-old record set by Shaunae Miller in 2018 and made her the first woman in history to complete the 150m race in under 16 seconds Ofili took control of the race early, surging ahead after the 50m mark and never looking back. She…

The north-west zone of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has passed a vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The endorsement was made after a stakeholders’ meeting held in Kaduna on Saturday, where Tinubu was also adopted as the sole candidate for the poll. In a communique read by Uba Sani, Kaduna governor and APC north-west coordinating governor, the zone reaffirmed its loyalty to the APC and pledged ”full support for President Tinubu’s vision to deliver prosperity, equity, and lasting change for all Nigerians”. ”We thank and commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his purposeful leadership,…

Opeyemi Bright, a UK citizen of Nigerian descent, has been appointed the mayor of Barking and Dagenham Borough. Bright, aged 29, made history as the youngest person to hold the position. She was confirmed as the borough’s next mayor in April and inaugurated during a ceremony on Friday. She had previously served as councillor of the borough in 2018 — also the youngest to have served in that capacity then aged 22. She also served as a school governor, a board member of Agile Africa, an non-governmental organisation that equips young people with tech skills. Bright joins the likes of…

The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Dr. Abdullahi Bello has urged Nigerians to report public servants living above their means to the Bureau for investigation and possible prosecution at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) if the need arises. The CCB boss made the call on Friday, when he led a delegation of the management staff of the Bureau on a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Tribune corporate office in Abuja. He said public servants are not known by the people in the environment before they get into public service, and if any of them begin to…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has set up an emergency counselling service for Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates.  In a post via X on Friday, the examination body announced that the emergency channel will complement its ticketing platform.  JAMB urged candidates to register their complaints through the provided helpline – 07002200016. The board also unveiled the names of six persons who would be stationed at the backend of the calls. “In addition to our usual and preferred ticketing platform for Candidates Support, JAMB has now opened a Candidate Counselling Emergency Support Centre (CCESC),” the post reads. “Members of the public, particularly…

In line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Ministry of Interior has announced the launch of a new Online Citizenship and Business Management Platform. This initiative forms a key part of the Ministry’s ongoing reforms aimed at promoting transparency, enhancing operational efficiency, and significantly improving service delivery to the public. The new digital platform is designed to streamline the application and processing of citizenship and business-related services, ensuring faster turnaround times and improved user experience. Members of the public, corporate entities, and other stakeholders are expected to access the platform through the following official channels:Ministry…

President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja for Rome, Italy, on Saturday at the invitation of Pope Leo XIV. In a statement he issued on Thursday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, announced that President Tinubu will travel with senior Catholic leaders to attend a special Mass marking the beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s tenure as the 267th Bishop of Rome. According to Onanuga, Cardinal Pietro Parolin sent the invitation from Pope Leo XIV, who said the ceremony reflects “a moment of particular importance for the Catholic Church and the world afflicted by many tensions and…

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators convened in Istanbul on Friday for their first direct peace talks in over three years, under mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to bring an end to Europe’s deadliest war since World War II. The meeting, held at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus, marked the first face-to-face encounter between the two sides since March 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While the talks were seen as a potential diplomatic step forward, expectations for progress were dampened on Thursday when Trump said no meaningful movement would happen without a direct meeting between himself…

Finnish prosecutors on Friday said they had charged a man with inciting terrorism online who a media report identified as Nigerian separatist leader Simon Ekpa. Finland’s National Prosecution Authority said in a statement that it had charged “a Finnish individual in a case involving suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.” It added that the alleged crimes had been committed in the city of Lahti between 2021 and 2024 and were related to the suspect’s efforts to establish Nigeria’s Biafra region as an independent state. The prosecution authority did…

President Bola Tinubu on Friday held a closed-door meeting with Nigeria’s Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, ahead of his scheduled departure to Rome on Saturday. Those in attendance included the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla; and the IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, among others. Though the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, it is believed to have centered on the recent spike in insecurity across the country. President…