Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Tinubu and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have resolved to improve bilateral relations between their two countries and to strengthen collaboration in the security, power, and railway sectors. In a telephone conversation on Wednesday afternoon, the two leaders also expressed their willingness to cooperate in creative arts and skill development. President Tinubu and the German Chancellor spoke on the Presidential Power Initiative, during which the Nigerian leader indicated that the country would require assistance with power transmission. The German Chancellor pledged that Siemens would be ready to assist in that regard, while Deutsche Bank would be willing to finance…

In a strategic move to shift the Niger Delta’s economic dependence from crude oil to sustainable commerce, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Senate Committee on Local Content have launched a high-impact “Linkage Capacity Building Programme” in agribusiness. The initiative, hosted in Oleh, Delta South Senatorial District, marks a significant expansion of the “Local Content” philosophy traditionally reserved for the oil and gas sector into the multi billion naira agricultural value chain. Representing the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, Senior Special Adviser Paul Emumena Michael emphasized that the region’s fertile…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has confirmed that the former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, is currently in its custody. In a press release issued by the Commission’s Head of Media and Public Communications, J. Okor Odey, the anti-graft agency stated that the former governor was detained as of the close of work on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. According to the ICPC, El-Rufai’s detention is in connection with ongoing investigations, although the specific details of the allegations against him were not immediately made public. The ICPC detention marks another chapter in the legal…

The Rivers State House of Assembly has halted impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Ngozi Odu. The decision was made during Thursday’s sitting, shortly after the House concluded a Committee of the Whole. The impeachment process had been delayed due to legal and political challenges, and further action was put on hold pending the outcome of ongoing court cases and consultations. Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, told lawmakers at the plenary that the decision followed a high-level meeting at the Presidential Villa. The meeting involved him, Governor Fubara, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom…

The US presidential jet is getting a new paint design that will include one of President Donald Trump’s preferred colour choices for the White House and his hotels, gold. Air Force One and other planes used by high level US officials, including First Lady Melania Trump, are being repainted gold, deep red and navy blue as they undergo scheduled repairs and maintenance, according to the US Air Force. The colours will also feature on a new luxury 747-8i Boeing plane donated to the presidential fleet by Qatar, an Air Force spokesperson told CBS. The white, blue and robin’s egg blue…

President Bola Tinubu has issued an executive order to safeguard and enhance oil and gas revenues for the Federation, curb wasteful spending, eliminate duplicative structures in this critical sector of the national economy, and redirect resources for the benefit of the Nigerian people. The President signed the EO in pursuance of Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The Executive Order is anchored on Section 44(3) of the Constitution, which vests ownership, control, and derivative rights in all minerals, mineral oils, and natural gas in, under, and upon any land in Nigeria, including its…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday signed the Electoral Act, 2026  into law, declaring that the reforms are aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electoral processes and deepening public confidence in elections. The signing, which took place at the State House, came less than 24 hours after the National Assembly passed the final versions of the bill through third reading, paving the way for its immediate transmission to the President by the Clerk of the National Assembly. In a statement released by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga, on X, President Tinubu said periodic review of electoral laws after every election cycle was a…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Tuesday reminded operators, contractors, and service companies in the upstream sector of the Nigerian oil and gas industry of their mandatory obligation to remit one percent (1%) Nigerian Content Development Fund (NCDF) levy into the bank accounts officially designated by the Board. In a statement at the Nigerian Content Tower, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe explained that the NCDF is established under Section 104 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010 as a dedicated fund for the development of…

President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians to use the 2026 Lenten and Ramadan fasts to promote unity and stability, and also pray for the security of Nigeria. Tinubu, in a statement he personally signed. With profound reverence to God Almighty, I greet the Christian and Muslim faithful on the solemn occasions of Lent and Ramadan. This year, Lent and Ramadan begin on the same day. This is not a common occurrence, and it reminds us that as a people of faith, we share a lot in common and are one people under God. For Christians, the Lenten season is…

 The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board has reinforced Nigeria’s leadership in Africa’s local content development, calling for deeper competitiveness, stronger supply chains and structured continental collaboration as key drivers of sustainable industrialization across the energy sector. The call was made at the African Content Forum during the 10th edition of the Sub-Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC) 2026, where the Board featured prominently across keynote sessions, policy panels and technical engagements focused on translating local content legislation into measurable economic impact. Delivering the keynote on behalf of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Acting Director, Project Certification and Authorization Dorectorate, and Special Technical…