Author: Vardiafrica

The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal has confirmed a $220 million penalty imposed on Meta Platforms Inc. by Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). In a statement issued Friday by FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, the tribunal also ordered Meta to pay an additional $35,000 to cover the cost of the commission’s investigation. The original fine was levied on July 19, 2024, following a joint 38-month investigation conducted by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC). The inquiry focused on how Meta and its subsidiaries—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—handled user data and privacy. Meta has…

The Sole Administrator of Rivers, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, has requested more time from the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on Rivers to properly brief the committee on the developments in the state. He requested on Friday at a meeting with the committee in Abuja after failing to appear before the committee on Thursday, April 17 and 24. Ibas, who expressed regret for his inability to attend earlier engagements explains that the absence was not out of disregard, but rather due to the weighty and urgent demands of stabilising governance in Rivers. “I have always held the National…

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri on Thursday announced a ban on the issuance of waivers for the importation of threaded pipes for use in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.He handed the directive to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) at the commissioning of Monarch Alloys Limited’s concrete weight coating plant at Ikorodu, Lagos State. The plant has an annual external capacity coating capacity of two million square meters and an internal square meters coating capacity of one million square meters. The facility supports onshore and offshore pipeline requirements where increased line…

A delegation from the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday visited MT Valves West Africa Free Zone at Lekki Free Zone, Lagos, to assess the firm’s operations and plans to invest in a 15,000 tons per year valves manufacturing facility. The company is a subsidiary of MT Group, a global manufacturer of industrial valves, with presence across Africa, Middle East and Asia, manufacturing 60,000 tons of valves per year from its plant at Abu Dhabi, United Emirates and cutting-edge research and development center and manufacturing base at Shanghai, China, the global headquarters. The Board’s delegation was led…

The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, was among state governors attending the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday. Ibas made his debut appearance at the NEC meeting after his appointment as Sole Administrator for Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu following the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara in March 2025. Vice President Kashim Shettima presided over the meeting which had in attendance many governors and some deputy governors from across the 36 states of the federation. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State who defected to the All Progressives Congress…

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has announced that a forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will soon commence. Edun, who was speaking at the Nigerian Investor Forum, which is holding on the sidelines of the IMF/World bank spring meetings in Washington DC, explained that the recent rejigging of the management of the NNPCL is part of the cleansing the Federal Government has taken to audit the company Addressing a group of investors drawn from renowned global financial institutions, including J.P. Morgan, the Minister outlined critical reforms the Federal Government…

A coalition of women under the banner of Rivers Women United for Sim (RWUS) staged a peaceful gathering in Port Harcourt on Thursday, calling for the restoration of peace in Rivers State and the reinstatement of suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The women, who turned out in large numbers, described Rivers as a peaceful state and urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the lingering political crisis. They called for the reinstatement of all suspended elected officials, insisting that Governor Fubara had committed no wrongdoing to justify his suspension. The group also reaffirmed their unwavering support for the embattled governor. Women…

Flight activities, including those of Air Peace, are being disrupted at local airports as workers of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) stage protests over poor working conditions. The strike, which has lingered into day 2, sees passengers on scheduled local flights stranded at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and others. Air Peace passengers were informed that the airline had made the decision not to fly due to safety issues. In a video obtained on Wednesday, Air Peace’s Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, was heard ordering for cancellation of flights nationwide. “If NiMET has not called…

The Federal Government has officially declared Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Airport in Minna, Niger State, an alternative to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. The Minister of Aviation and Airspace Development, Festus Keyamo, made the announcement during the inaugural flight ceremony of Overland Airways at the airport. According to him, ” Plans are on to deploy necessary measures like customs, immigration, police, NDLEA and others to process passengers if Abuja airport encounters problem. Enough of suppressing Niger State of it’s rightful place”. The Minister commended Governor Mohammed Umar Bago for his political will in realizing the state’s vision for economic…

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, on Wednesday expressed total support for the vision and long-term plan of Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited, a consortium that concluded acquisition of onshore oil assets of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in March 2025. Addressing a high-powered delegation of the company in his office at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT) in Swali, Yenagoa, Engr. Ogbe said indigenous oil and gas companies are ever assured of an enabling environment by the Board, and that its Management team would be willing to engage with their counterparts from…