Author: Vardiafrica

The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has appealed the June 19 ruling of Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja against his objection to the jurisdiction of the court to subject him to trial. Kanu, through his lead Counsel, Alloy Ejimakor, filed the notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja. This was disclosed by Ejimakor in a statement. Part of the statement reads “ Earlier today I filed a Notice of Appeal with the Court of Appeal in Abuja against the 19th June 2024 ruling of Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako,…

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, has said the country recorded foreign exchange (FX) inflows of about $24 billion in the first quarter of 2024. The disclosure was made by Mr Cardoso in his latest interview with Bloomberg TV on Tuesday in London. According to him, the inflow is about 50 per cent higher than in previous quarters up to 2021. “In terms of liquidity, especially on the foreign exchange side, we have seen an increase. The first quarter of this year has resulted in a total inflow of about $24 billion. “Now, this…

The Federal Government has announced a ban on single-use plastics in all its Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). This decision, disclosed by the Minister of State for Environment, Adekunle Salako, followed the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja on Tuesday. Salako highlighted that this ban is a crucial element of the government’s broader strategy for plastic waste management, which aims to address the interconnected issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The ban “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to addressing the triple threat of climate change, biodiversity loss,…

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has stepped down consideration and deliberation on the memo on the new minimum wage to allow President Bola Tinubu engage in more consultation with stakeholders. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing State House correspondents on the decisions taken at the council meeting. He said the President has studied the report submitted by the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage and would consult further before a final submission on a new national minimum wage to the National Assembly. Long Walk To New Wage Talks for a new minimum wage…

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it takes seriously its responsibility to monitor and regulate the mid and downstream sector of the petroleum industry in the country. Ogbugo Ukoha, NMDPRA Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, made this known in a statement on Tuesday. Ukoha was responding to allegations by the Dangote Refinery that some major oil marketers are importing dirty fuel into the country. He said the sulfur content of products being imported into the country is well below the 50 Parts Per Million (PPM) regulatory allowance. He said the Authority strictly monitor…

Essien Etop Andrew, the deputy comptroller in charge of revenue at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), is dead. The customs officer was fielding questions from members of the house of representatives committee on public account when he coughed and slumped. Andrew was rushed to the national assembly clinic where he was confirmed dead. Bamidele Salam, chairman of the committee, said the panel will suspend other hearings for one week to honour the late customs chief. “It was a very sad incident. He was very eloquent and clearly understood the issues being considered,” the lawmaker told TheCable. “He suddenly said he…

The Sokoto State Government says contrary to speculations by some persons and groups, the current administration of Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State has no plan to depose the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III. In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesman for the state government, Abubakar Bawa, condemned campaigns “to smear the cordial relationship existing between the state government and the Sultanate Council”. A religious organisation, the Muslims Rights Concern (MURIC), had alleged a plot by the state government to dethrone the Sultan. Subsequently, Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday said the throne of the Sultan is an…

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered celebrity bartender and business man, Pascal Okechukwu popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest to forfeit the sum of ₦10m to the Federal Government as a fine in lieu of the charge made against him for alleged abuse of the Naira. This was contained in the terms of settlement agreement with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which was adopted before the trial judge, Justice Kehinde Ogundare on Tuesday. At the proceedings, Counsel for the EFCC, Bilkisu Buhari-Bala, informed the court that parties in the charge entered into the out of-court…

Women from the Ipo community have blocked the entrance to the Port Harcourt airport. As early as 7:30 am on Tuesday morning, the women from Ipo which is one of the host communities of the airport, blocked the gate at the airport roundabout, waving placards, singing, wailing, and even cooking at the gate. Some of the inscriptions on their banner include ‘We Demand Our Citizens Rights’, ‘Ipo Women Peaceful Protest’, among others. Channels Television gathered that the aggrieved women were trying to get government’s attention to their lack of electricity, good roads, and poor schools despite their community playing host…

Top political leaders from the different wards of Obio/Akpor are currently showing their solidarity for the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike in a protest march. As of the time of filing this report, the protesters were at the Rumueme Civic Center in Port Harcourt, and the likes of Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ogundu Chinda, Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, and former Council Chairman, George Ariolu were leading the march. They are demanding that the Inspector General of Police, continues to occupy the councils and not succumb to any form of intimidation. The solidarity…