Author: Vardiafrica

A dramatic confrontation unfolded in Abuja on Tuesday when the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Barr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, was blocked by armed soldiers from accessing a disputed plot of land allegedly linked to former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (rtd.). The minister, who has made the enforcement of land-use regulations a central plank of his administration, had arrived at the site in company of officials from the FCTA Department of Development Control following reports of illegal development and land grabbing. According to the Director of Development Control, Mukhtar Galadima, the property in question…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has once again stopped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from going ahead with its planned National Convention slated for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan, Oyo State. In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, Justice Peter Lifu issued a fresh restraining order against the opposition party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), stopping the electoral body from supervising, monitoring, or recognising the outcome of the planned convention. The decision followed a suit filed by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who accused the PDP leadership of denying him the right to contest for the…

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has stepped up its counterterrorism and counter-banditry campaign with a series of precision airstrikes that eliminated ISWAP fighters in Borno State and destroyed criminal enclaves in Kwara and Katsina States. In a statement released on Monday, the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said that the coordinated missions executed represent a decisive phase in ongoing joint operations under Operation HADIN KAI and Operation FANSAN YAMMA, aimed at degrading terrorist and criminal networks across Nigeria’s northern theatres. According to him, in Borno State, NAF air interdiction missions dealt a heavy…

The Nigerian government is currently in talks with the government of United Kingdom to try to get former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu released and serve his remaining jail term in Nigeria. President Bola Tinubu had sent a high-level delegation to meet with officials of the UK Ministry of Justice to discuss the case of the imprisoned senator. Ekweremadu was convicted in the UK for organ trafficking after a plot to bring a 21 year old Lagos street vendor to Britain for a kidney transplant for his daughter, Sonia. He was sentenced to nine years and eight months under the…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to enforce the total ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets and small-volume PET/glass bottles (below 200ml) by December 2025, in line with the recent directive of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This decisive action, ordered by the Nigerian Senate and backed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, underscores the Agency’s statutory mandate to safeguard public health and protect vulnerable populations—particularly children, adolescents, and young adults—from the harmful use of alcohol. The proliferation of…

Morocco has finalized an ambitious deal with France’s Safran Group to establish Africa’s largest aircraft-engine assembly hub, a project set to elevate the Kingdom’s standing in the global aerospace industry. Announced by Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour during the third edition of the National Industry Day in Rabat as reported by Business Insider Africa, the €350 million project will be located in the Midparc industrial zone in Nouaceur, near Casablanca. The facility will serve as the world’s second-largest LEAP-1A engine production hub after Safran’s Villaroche plant in France, assembling the same engines that power Airbus A320neo aircraft. This milestone…

Guinea’s Supreme Court has confirmed that the country’s junta leader, Mamady Doumbouya, along with eight other candidates, can participate in the forthcoming presidential election next month. When Doumbouya assumed control of the West African nation in 2021, he pledged not to seek office. However, a newly instituted constitution, advocated by the military-led administration and ratified in a September referendum, has now paved the way for his potential candidacy. Two formidable potential contenders, the erstwhile President Alpha Conde and the former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, find themselves disqualified due to age and residency stipulations enshrined in the new constitution. Doumbouya…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Bayelsa state governor and minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, wanted. According to the anti-graft agency, the former Delta State governor is wanted in connection with an alleged case of Conspiracy and Dishonest Conversion of $14,859,257. “The public is hereby notified that TIMIPRE SYLVA, a former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, and former Governor of Bayelsa State, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of Conspiracy and Dishonest Conversion of $14,859,257 – part of funds injected by…

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, on Monday, unveiled the official match ball for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations The match ball named ITRI draws inspiration from Morocco’s centuries-old zellij art form. The name also pays tribute to the star featured on the Moroccan flag. ITRI ball, according to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will make its debut in the opening match of AFCON 2025. Hosts Morocco will take on Comoros in the opening game of the competition. The AFCON 2025 finals will kick-off on Sunday, 21 December

Russia said on Monday it was delusional to think Ukraine could win the war, while Moscow’s army said it had captured three more villages on the sprawling front line. Moscow is trying to press its advantage in manpower and equipment, but territorial gains have been slow and costly. Both sides are heavily entrenched, almost four years after Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine. “The Europeans believe that Ukraine can win the war and secure its interests through military means,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “This is the deepest delusion indulged in by the Kyiv regime. The situation on the…