Author: Vardiafrica

The Nigerian Senate has issued a two-week ultimatum to the executive arm to present a comprehensive progress report on the implementation of the 2024 budget, alongside projections for the 2025 fiscal year. The directive, which came from the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, was announced during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu’s economic team in Abuja. The meeting at the National Assembly was led by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who headed President Bola Tinubu’s economic team to engage with members of the Senate Committee on Finance. According…

Burkina Faso’s military government has refused to take in deportees from the US as Washington suspended issuing visas in the West African nation. Minister of Foreign Affairs Karamoko Jean-Marie Traoré questioned if the embassy’s decision was “blackmail” after he said he had rejected an American proposal to take in migrants from third countries. Donald Trump’s administration has turned to African countries as a destination to deport migrants to as part of his crackdown on immigration. The US State Department and Department of Homeland Security have been contacted for comment. His military government seized power in a coup three years ago,…

Thousands of displaced Palestinians are streaming back toward their homes across the Gaza Strip on Friday as a landmark ceasefire between Israel and Hamas officially came into effect, ending two years of conflict. The agreement launched the first phase of a US-backed peace plan, bringing a halt to hostilities and an initial Israeli troop pullback.In a massive column, thousands began walking northwards, forming a line at least a kilometre long from the perceived safer central areas toward Gaza City, the territory’s largest urban centre that bore the brunt of a grueling Israeli offensive.As they walked along the recently reopened Mediterranean…

The Nobel Peace Prize was on Friday awarded to Venezuela’s opposition leader and democracy activist Maria Corina Machado, a “unifying” figure in what has become a “brutal” state, the Nobel jury said. Machado, who has lived in hiding for the past year, was honoured “for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy,” said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo. “I am in shock,” the 58-year-old opposition leader could be heard saying in a video sent…

Peru’s Congress has voted to removePresident Dina Boluarte from office, hours after a late-night session was called to debate her impeachment. An overwhelming majority of lawmakers from across the political spectrum approved her ousting on grounds of “permanent moral incapacity”. In an address on national television following the vote, Boluarte questioned the implications it would have on the stability of Peru’s democracy. One of the world’s most unpopular leaders, with an approval rating of 2-4%, Boluarte’s tenure has been plagued by frequent protests, scandals and investigations, as well as a surge in gang violence. Anti-government protests have escalated in recent…

The Federal Government has directed all tertiary institutions in Nigeria to submit detailed reports on unutilised intervention funds received from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) within the next 30 days. Speaking at a meeting with heads of tertiary institutions in Abuja, Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, expressed concern over the persistent issue of unused allocations, describing it as a major challenge for the ministry. He noted that funds earmarked for critical infrastructure development have remained dormant due to bureaucratic bottlenecks, delaying much-needed progress in higher education. To address this, Alausa announced a series of new measures, including: The…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has presented award letters to 600 successful candidates for its 2025/2026 Local Post Graduate Scholarship Programme Presenting the scholarship letters to the successful candidates during the award ceremony in Port Harcourt, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stated that the scholarship programme was an initiative designed to enhance human capital development in the Niger Delta region. Ogbuku, who was supported by the Executive Director of Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde; the Representative of Bayelsa State on the NDDC Board, Senator Dimaro Denyanbofa , and other Directors of the Commission, urged the awardees to be…

Determined to equip young Nigerians with advanced digital and data analytics skills needed to excel in the oil and gas industry, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has officially launched its Digitisation Initiative, a flagship capacity development programme that would impact the oil and gas industry significantly. The South-West leg of the event was held on Tuesday in Victoria Island, Lagos and it marks a significant milestone in NCDMB’s sustained efforts to promote digital transformation, local content growth, and youth empowerment through strategic partnerships. The initiative is sponsored by Seplat Energy Plc, in collaboration with NCDMB’s Human Capacity…

President Bola Tinubu has approved a presidential prerogative of mercy for Nigeria’s foremost nationalist, Herbert Macaulay, and 174 other individuals across different categories. The announcement followed a presentation by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), who submitted the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy during the National Council of State meeting held on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Macaulay, widely regarded as the “father of Nigerian nationalism,” was twice convicted by colonial authorities in Lagos. In 1913, while practising as a private surveyor, he was accused of misappropriating funds…

The National Council of State has approved the nomination of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN) from the North-Central as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presented Amupitan as the nominee to fill the vacant position, following Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s exit. Yakubu served from 2015 till October 2025. President Tinubu told the council that Amupitan is the first person from Kogi, North-Central state, nominated to occupy the position and is apolitical. Council members unanimously supported the nomination, with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo describing Amupitan as a man of integrity. In compliance with the…