Author: Vardiafrica

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has approved the appointment of Benibo Anabraba as the new Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG). Anabraba, a former Minority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly who represented Akuku-Toru Constituency II, replaces Tammy Danagogo. Danagogo had served in the position from the second term of former Governor Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to the first two years of the Fubara administration before the declaration of emergency rule. According to a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, Honour Sirawoo, the new SSG will…

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu on Sunday arrived in Rome to participate in the Aqaba Process Heads of State and Government Level Meeting, focusing on the security crisis in West Africa. The presidential aeroplane was said to have landed at the Rome Fiumicino International Airport at approximately 7:20pm. Recall that a statement issued on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the meeting will begin on Tuesday and is scheduled to bring together Heads of State and Government, senior intelligence and military officials from African countries, and representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations…

US President Donald Trump has said “the war is over” as he travels to Israel for the release of hostages from Gaza under the ceasefire deal agreed between Israel and Hamas. Speaking on board Air Force One, he said the ceasefire would hold and a “Board of Peace” would quickly be set up for Gaza, which he said looked like a “demolition site”. He also praised the roles of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatar, one of the mediators. The deadline for Hamas to release all the hostages it is still holding in Gaza is midday local time (10:00…

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, will lead the country’s delegation to the 2025 World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings in Washington, DC, kicking off on Monday. Mr Cardoso will represent the Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who is currently indisposed. In a statement on Sunday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the delegation will also include the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite. The meetings are expected to focus on key global economic issues, including debt sustainability, inflation pressures,…

As the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) embarks on a two-week warning strike, the Federal Government has emphasised that the “No Work, No Pay” policy remains an existing labour law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The government stated that it will be guided by this law should academic activities be disrupted in the nation’s universities. In a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, the government reaffirmed that while it continues to demonstrate goodwill and flexibility, it will not abdicate its responsibility to uphold fairness and accountability…

Ten young graduates have started a 12-month training and certification programme on rope access technology under the human capital development (HCD) initiative of Chevron Nigeria Limited and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). The training started on Wednesday and will prepare the trainees for rope access operations in difficult-to-reach locations in the oil and gas industry, onshore and offshore. It has five sessions of technical and non-technical modules, including classroom instruction, field practices, and entrepreneurship. Foundational safety is the focus of the beginning phases, while intensive rope access instruction, workshops, and hands-on learning follow. Exposure to offshore operations…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared a two-week warning strike over dissatisfaction with the federal government’s response to its demands. Chris Piwuna, ASUU president, addressed the press on Sunday at the union’s headquarters at the University of Abuja. Piwuna said the strike would begin on October 13 and would be observed across all branches of the union nationwide. He said the strike became necessary after several failed attempts to get the government to address long-standing issues affecting public universities. On October 8, Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, had appealed to the union to shelve its planned…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing Nigerian content, deepening indigenous participation, and sustaining future-ready investments across the nation’s energy landscape. The declaration came as the Board was honoured for its sustained efforts in building indigenous capacity within the Nigerian oil and gas sector. It bagged the Local Content Champion of the Year Award at the 2025 Annual Energy Conference of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria held at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos on Thursday. Representing the Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, Dr.…

Voting began Sunday as Cameroon holds presidential elections, which 92-year-old Paul Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, is expected to win, extending his already 43-year grip on power. Biya faces 11 opponents, including former employment minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, who has generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters in the central African nation, where half the population is under 20. Polling stations opened at 8:00 am and will close at 6:00 pm (0700 to 1700 GMT). The eight million Cameroonians who are eligible to vote in the one-round election have, for the most part, only known one ruler in…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, brought together chief executives of indigenous oil and gas companies, host community contractors and vendors, alongside key personnel of three financial institutions, for appraisal of funding and regulatory mechanisms instituted by the Board. Christened “NCDMB Stakeholders Sensitization and Engagement Forum,” the event was designed to clarify processes for Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) 1% Compliance Certification issuance, demonstrate new features of the upgraded 1% NCDF payment portal, provide guidance on the revised Community Contractors Scheme, and also serve as customers’ engagement forum with participation by…