Author: Vardiafrica

Manchester City have signed a blockbuster new kit deal with Puma worth a reported £1 billion ($1.34 billion) over the next 10 years. City’s extension of their contract with Puma ranks as the largest kit manufacturing partnership in Premier League history. Having agreed a £65 million per year deal with the German company in 2019, City’s new arrangement is believed to be worth a £100 million per year until 2035, according to British media reports. That figure shatters the £90 million per year deal signed by Manchester United with Adidas in 2023. Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are both…

The remains of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, have been buried in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.  The janaza (Islamic funeral prayer) was conducted at approximately 4:50 pm on Tuesday before his body was lowered into the grave in accordance with Islamic rites. Buhari’s body had earlier arrived in Katsina from London aboard a Nigerian Air Force aircraft, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and other top government officials. His corpse was received amid tight security, with armoured vehicles, DSS operatives, and heavily armed soldiers stationed along key roads leading to…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it has signed a $3.5 billion memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Akwa Ibom state government and the Gas Aggregator Company of Nigeria (GACN). In a statement on Tuesday, the national oil company announced that the signing ceremony was held during the opening session of the South-South Gas Utilisation Forum 2025 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state. The firm said the agreement underscores the south-south geopolitical zone’s commitment to driving gas industrialisation for shared prosperity. According to the statement, the forum was attended by Ekperikpe Ekpo, minister of state for petroleum resources (gas),…

Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s body has arrived at the Katsina Airport.  The body, accompanied by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and some family members of the late former president, landed at the airport runway at about 1:59 pm. Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State, and members of the Katsina State Executive Council, Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibril, among other dignitaries, were on the ground to receive the corpse alongside some family members of the late former President. Buhari’s body, draped in the Nigerian flag, was brought down from the Nigerian Air Force aircraft by…

The remains of former President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday morning, departed London, the United Kingdom, for Daura, Katsina State, ahead of a state burial. Vice President Kashim Shettima is, leading a high-level Federal Government delegation to finalise documentation and logistical arrangements for the repatriation of the ex-president’s remains. On Monday, the federal government said that President Bola Tinubu will receive the former President’s remains in Katsina ahead of his final interment in Daura, Katsina State. The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja. According to Idris, the body of the former…

The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, has charged newly appointed Board members to uphold the highest standards of discipline, competence, integrity, and unwavering dedication in their service to the state. He emphasized that such commitment is critical to stabilizing governance, restoring democratic institutions, and advancing the principles of good governance in Rivers State. Vice Admiral Ibas issued the charge on Monday while inaugurating the reconstituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Rivers State Civil Service Commission, Rivers State Local Government Service Commission, and the Rivers Primary Health Care Management Board at Government House, Port Harcourt.…

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has filed a notice of appeal to challenge the ruling of the Federal High Court, which ‘ordered’ the recall of suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Senate. In a notice of appeal dated July 14, 2025, filed by Akpabio—through his lead counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju, SAN, Akpabio is seeking to overturn the July 4 judgment delivered by Justice Binta Nyako. The High Court had described Akpoti-Uduaghan’s six-month suspension as “excessive” and without legal justification. The appeal, marked CA/2025, arises from suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/384/2025, which was instituted by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan to challenge her suspension from the Senate. Akpabio’s…

President Bola Tinubu has approved the constitution of an inter-ministerial committee to coordinate a befitting state burial for former President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari died in London on Sunday, July 13, at 82, following a prolonged illness. Announcing the decision in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the committee would work in collaboration with the Katsina State Government and the family of the late president to ensure a dignified programme of events. The committee is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume. Other members include the ministers of…

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is moving ahead with plans to build a major seaport near his fertilizer and oil refinery plants, a move aimed at easing exports and powering the continued expansion of his vast industrial empire. In a recent interview in Lagos, Dangote confirmed that his group submitted paperwork in late June to begin work on what he described as “the biggest, deepest port in Nigeria.” The proposed Atlantic seaport will be located in Olokola, Ogun State, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from his massive fertilizer and petrochemical facilities in Lagos, Bloomberg reported. Currently, Dangote exports fertilizer and urea through a…

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has barred the Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, from inaugurating the newly confirmed chairman and members of the Rivers State Services Commission, pending the judgment of the court in a pending suit. Justice Frank Onyiri issued the order after all parties adopted their final written addresses in a suit filed by the Chairman and members of the Rivers State Services Commission appointed by suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara. The claimants are challenging their suspension by the sole administrator. Justice Onyiri, after directing all parties to maintain the status quo in…