Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu today inducted two cutting-edge Agusta 109 Trekker helicopters into the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) fleet. The high-profile induction ceremony, held at the Presidential Air Fleet Apron in Abuja, was part of activities marking the 61st anniversary of the NAF. President Senator Kashim Shettima, who reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to modernising the Armed Forces under the Renewed Hope Agenda. Describing the NAF as a “cynosure of operational excellence,” the President praised its role in regional stability efforts in countries such as The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali. “This ceremony marks another milestone in our resolve to…

A bill seeking to compel ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to purchase of Nigerian-made vehicles has passed second reading in the senate. The legislation, titled ‘Local Automotive Industry Patronage Bill, 2025’, is sponsored by Patrick Ndubueze, senator representing Imo north.  Ndubueze introduced the bill in October 2024 and passed its first reading. Debating on the bill during plenary, Ndubueze said Nigeria’s overdependence on imported automobiles has continued to weaken the naira and damage local industries. “Any country that aims to achieve steady economic growth and development must have a policy that encourages and provides a framework for local production,” he said. “It is also…

The Executive Secretary Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe on Tuesday joined dignitaries from across the country to pay their last respect to the late elder stateman and founder of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark. The Executive Secretary was accompanied by the Director Planning Research and Statistics, NCDMB, Mr. Isaac Yalah to the funeral ceremony held at Kiagbodo, Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State, the community of the late Ijaw nationalist. The NCDMB boss described the late Clark as a staunch local content advocate, educationist, philanthropist and statesman. He…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, his counterpart in the Ministry of Works, Dave Umahi, and other ministers will present their ministries’ success stories at an International Press Conference in London, the United Kingdom. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Project Internal Coordinator of the President Bola Tinubu Midterm Legacy Projects Review Committee, Bode Adeyemi, said the ministers and heads of departments and agencies will use the opportunity to showcase the achievements and legacy projects of the Tinubu administration. He stated that the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream…

The Central Bank of Nigeria, in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, has launched the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number platform, an initiative aimed at enhancing financial access for Nigerians in the diaspora. The platform, which enables Nigerians abroad to obtain their Bank Verification Number remotely, removes the need for physical presence in Nigeria. Speaking at the event in Abuja on Tuesday, CBN Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, described the platform as a key milestone in the country’s financial inclusion journey. He noted that the NRBVN would ease the long-standing challenges faced by Nigerians in the diaspora who previously had to…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited has reduced the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, to N910 per litre from N935 per litre in Abuja. However, the price adjustment has not yet been implemented in Lagos and other cities across Nigeria. Meanwhile, Dangote Petroleum Refinery initiated the price adjustment last weekend, slashing the gantry price of petrol to N825 per litre from N835 per litre, as competition intensifies in the domestic market. This follows a previous price reduction last month, when the 650,000 barrels per day refinery lowered the gantry price to N835 per litre…

Lawmakers argued that, if passed, the bill could set a dangerous precedent for the nation’s political structure. Deputy Minority Leader Aliyu Madaki stated that existing institutions have already covered the issues the bill aims to address, according to The PUNCH. Madaki said, “The issues this bill intends to cure have already been taken care of by the Federal Character Commission. The rotation issue should not be included in the Constitution but allowed to remain the way it is.” Another lawmaker, Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), questioned the practicality of the proposal, warning that it could compromise leadership quality and promote ethnic…

The Senate on Tuesday asked the military to urgently redeploy personnel and advanced equipment to Borno and Yobe states, following a resurgence of attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in the areas. The resolution followed renewed insurgent attacks in the North-East region, including the killing of over a dozen soldiers in Marte town of the Monguno Local Government Area on Monday, May 12, and a subsequent assault early Tuesday on Gajiram, the headquarters of the Nganzai Local Government Area. In a motion raised by the Senate Chief Whip, Tahir Munguno, lawmakers noted that while two-thirds of the local government areas in…

The World Bank has raised concerns over low remittances by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) despite the removal of fuel subsidies. These concerns were outlined by the apex bank in its Nigeria Development Update published on Monday. According to the report, despite the removal of subsidies in October 2024, the NNPCL has failed to fully remit revenue to the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC). “Despite the subsidy being fully removed in October 2024, NNPCL started transferring the revenue gains to the Federation only in January 2025. Since then, it has been remitting only 50 percent of these gains, using the…

The federal executive council (FEC) has approved the creation of MediPool, a group purchasing organisation aimed at reducing the cost of essential medicines and healthcare products across Nigeria. Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, said MediPool would operate as a public-private partnership, leveraging the government’s purchasing power to negotiate better prices from suppliers. “So it’s using the monopsony power of government as a large buyer of those commodities to negotiate lower prices and then channel those commodities,” Pate said. According to him, the scope of MediPool includes “procurement planning, distribution monitoring, supply chain, logistics management, quality…