Author: Vardiafrica

In its latest move to resolve challenges around power supply in the country, the Federal Government said it has bought over a total of 10 mobile power stations. Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu revealed this on Wednesday, February 28, when he met with the Forum of Commissioners of Energy in Nigeria, in a bid to strengthen collaboration between the Federal and State governments towards achieving regular power supply. In a press statement signed by the Special Adviser, Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Ministry of Power, Bolaji Tunji on Thursday, February 29, said while addressing the forum which had 23…

Telecommunications company MTN Nigeria has explained that the network outage experienced by its subscribers for the major part of Wednesday was caused by “multiple fibre cuts”. MTN boasts of 87,038,768 subscribers as of December 2023, according to data by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), representing 38.79% of the total market share, the highest in the country by any licensed Mobile Network Operator (MNO). The 87 million subscribers of the MNO experienced difficulty making and receiving calls for hours on Wednesday, fuelling rumours that the NCC had made do its threat that all telcos bar subscribers not linked to the National…

 Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has issued a directive to telecom service providers to bar subscribers who have failed to link their phone numbers to their National Identification Numbers (NIN) on or before February 28, 2024. The Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Aminu Maida, who gave the directive through the Director of Public Affairs, Ruben Mouka, at the 45th Kaduna International Trade Fair on Wednesday, insisted that as matter of critical national security, telecom consumers must link their NIN to their SIM cards. He insisted that the February 28th deadline given to telecom operators to bar subscribers who failed to…

President Bola Tinubu says his administration is working to ensure that Nigeria is reformed for greater efficiency with a particular emphasis on systematically inculcating fairness and equity in all aspects of the national life. ”Nigeria will survive the current economic challenges. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I requested the job, and I am not complaining about it. I take full responsibility,” the President told Addressing Afenifere leaders at the residence of Pa Reuben Fasoranti in Akure, Ondo State, on Wednesday. He also emphasised his commitment to leading Nigeria towards economic and social prosperity. ”We are meeting our…

The Vice President, Kashim Shettima has inaugurated the newly constituted board of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) with a call on the new management to introduce innovations in hajj operations in Nigeria. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media and Communications, Office of the President, Stanley Nkwocha, said Shettima spoke during the inauguration of the new board at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday. He said the Vice President urged members to synergize and bring fresh perspectives to the operations of the commission. According to Shettima, serving on the NAHCON board is…

The Senate has summoned the Minister of Federal Capital Territory and the Commissioner of Police in the FCT to brief the senate in a closed door session. The briefing will be on security in the FCT against the backdrop of the recent Galadima kidnap incident. The Senate announced the resolution after a motion moved by Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North on the need to urgently enhance security measures in the FCT during plenary on Wednesday. Among other resolutions taken by the Senate include calls on the Inspector-General of Police to urgently increase security patrols and surveillance within Abuja and…

President Bola Tinubu says the removal of petrol subsidy was a challenging but necessary decision to secure the country’s energy future. Tinubu said this on Tuesday at the 7th Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES) which took place at the banquet hall of the presidential villa, Abuja. The president was represented at the event by Mohammed Idris, the minister of information. In his keynote address, Idris said the payment of petrol subsidy strained the country’s resources over the years, and hindered investments in critical infrastructure. The information minister said the funds meant for petrol subsidy are now being diverted to erect…

THE Senate has begun a probe into the payment of over N30 trillion Ways and Means secured from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN by the immediate past government in the last 10 years.Consequently, the Senate has set up an ad hoc committee to carry out a holistic investigation into the matter and report at plenary in four weeks. The committee to probe the humongous N30 trillion Ways and Means, which was released as loan to the federal government during the former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was constituted by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, APC, Kano North, who…

President Bola Tinubu has launched the expatriate employment levy (EEL) to close wage gaps between expatriates and the Nigerian labour force. The EEL also mandates firms to pay levies for hiring expatriates and provides guidelines on the employment of Nigerians in foreign-owned companies. Tinubu said the policy, which was initiated to oversee expatriate employment in the country, should not become a hindrance to foreign investment. The initiative, according to the EEL handbook, aims to diminish reliance on foreign skills and encourage companies to prioritise the hiring of Nigerians by supporting the development of the local workforce. The policy document also said…

A late meeting between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour on Monday night at the State House in Abuja ended in a stalemate.The rally goes on and it is part of their constitutional responsibility to ensure that the rally is peaceful,” said the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, after the meeting with government representatives on the eve of the protest. The meeting, hosted by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, was not opened to the media.Those in attendance at the meeting include the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi; Ministers…