Author: Vardiafrica

The Kano State Government has banned all live political programmes on radio and television, taking decisive action to preserve public decency and curb the spread of inflammatory rhetoric. The State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, announced the ban during a meeting with media executives, where he emphasised the need for ethical broadcasting that respects the state’s cultural and religious values. According to Comrade Waiya, the ban is not an attempt to suppress political opinions, but a strategic effort to prevent the broadcast of inflammatory or defamatory content that could undermine the peace and moral fabric of…

The Federal Government has announced the end of its Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Programme, a scheme that funded Nigerian students to study abroad. The Minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa, made this disclosure on Wednesday while addressing the public in Abuja. Alausa explained that the decision follows a thorough policy review aimed at consolidating national investment in domestic tertiary institutions. “Every course Nigerians travel abroad to study through the BEA is now available and often of higher quality within our own universities and polytechnics,” Alausa said. “It is no longer justifiable to fund overseas studies with public resources when…

After spending five consecutive days in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), popular Nigerian social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has finally regained his freedom. The activist, known for his blunt commentaries and online exposés on societal ills, was arrested last week following what the EFCC described as “multiple petitions” lodged against him by unnamed individuals. He was released by the EFCC to his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, on Wednesday evening. Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, who spoke to him on phone confirmed the news. “Thanks to unrelenting efforts of all @thatverydarkman has been…

The Federal Government has launched the Nigeria Virtual Privacy Academy, a new digital training platform designed to deepen data protection and privacy practices across the country’s public and private sectors. The initiative was unveiled by Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, at the 8th annual conference of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA), which kicked off in Abuja on Tuesday. Speaking at the event, Dr. Tijani said the academy is a key part of Nigeria’s broader strategy to harness the benefits of a digital economy by equipping stakeholders with the tools and knowledge to…

The President of the Republic of Gabon, His Excellency, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, has conferred the nation’s honours – the Commander in the National Order of Gabonese Merit – on the Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu. The distinguished award recognises Elumelu’s enduring contribution to Africa’s economic development, particularly his impact on youth entrepreneurship and infrastructure growth in Gabon and across the continent. Speaking at the presidential palace while presenting the recognition in Libreville on Monday, Nguema, who was on Saturday sworn in as the newly elected…

The governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, has banned the sale of alcoholic beverages while accusing military and other security personnel of promoting criminality and antisocial vices in Maiduguri and its environs. The Governor said that ex and current serving personnel of the Nigerian security forces have played a significant role in influencing the civilian populace into criminality, radicalism, prostitution and other vices, heightening terrorism threats in the state. The governor said this on Tuesday at the inauguration of a reconstituted committee on “revocation of illegal hotels, brothels, shanties, and criminal hideouts and curbing the menace of antisocial vices”…

ExxonMobil has affirmed its long-term commitment to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector with a planned investment of $1.5 billion in deepwater exploration and development of the Usan oilfield. Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) revealed this in a statement on its X handle on Tuesday. According to the Commission, the financial commitment will be implemented between Q2, 2025 and 2027. This announcement, it said, was made during a visit by ExxonMobil’s Managing Director in Nigeria, Shane Harris, to the Commission’s Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe The company proposed a Final Investment Decision (FID) for late Q3, 2025, subject…

Nigeria and Brazil have set up a joint team to finalise the direct flight agreement. Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s minister of aviation and aerospace development, met with Silvio Costa Filho, Brazil’s minister of ports and airports, at the ministry’s headquarters in Brasília, the capital of the South American country. On October 7, 2024, Nigeria commenced discussions with Brazil to facilitate direct flights between both countries. According to a statement on Wednesday by Tunde Moshood, special adviser on media and communications to the minister, the meeting marked a renewed commitment by both countries to finalise the bilateral air service agreement (BASA) that has long…

Sheriff Oborevwori, the governor of Delta, met with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja. The meeting was Oborevwori’s first official visit to Tinubu since his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The governor described the meeting with the president as “insightful” and said it was aimed at unlocking long-term opportunities for growth. “It was an honour to meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) earlier today at the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock, Abuja,” he wrote in a post on X. “We engaged in an insightful conversation that will unlock sustainable growth for the future.” Tinubu…

A young Nigerian inventor has set a new Guinness World Record for creating the smallest GPS tracking device prototype. Oluwatobi Oyinlola’s GPS tracker measures 22.93 mm x 11.92 mm and is almost the size of a mobile phone sim card. It has been hailed as a huge step in the trend of manufacturing smaller electronic products and devices. “Oluwatobi believes in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, especially when it comes to miniaturizing technology,” the Guinness World Records (GWR) said in a statement. Global Positioning System (GPS) is a technology that enables users to track and monitor locations of devices fitted that have…