Author: Vardiafrica

In a major boost for Nigeria’s telecom sector, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that its recent return to a market-driven pricing regime has already spurred over $1 billion in fresh infrastructure investments within the first half of 2025 alone. The disclosure was made by the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, during an interactive session with journalists held on Friday in Lagos. Maida described the development as a significant milestone for a sector that had been struggling under outdated pricing models and chronic underinvestment. According to Maida, the pricing policy — which came into effect…

President Bola Tinubu has embarked on a two-nation tour of Japan and Brazil, starting with a stopover in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The President’s first major engagement will be at the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, from August 20 to 22. During the TICAD9 summit, President Tinubu will participate in discussions focused on Africa’s economic transformation and development. The conference provides a platform for African leaders to engage with international partners on key issues affecting the continent. Following the summit, President Tinubu will travel to Brasilia, Brazil, for a two-day state visit from August…

Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, former Governor of Sokoto State, has recounted his recent encounter with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Reports indicated that the agency detained him in Abuja over allegations of a fraudulent cash withdrawal amounting to N189 billion. Speaking to his supporters on Thursday, the 14th of August, 2025, after returning to Sokoto, Tambuwal explained that he had been invited by the EFCC and went to their office voluntarily on on the 6th of August. He stated that after initial questioning, he was allowed to leave but was directed to return on August 10 and 11 for further…

A federal court in the Ottawa, Ontario district of Canada, has labelled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) as “terrorist organisations” who engage in “ballot box snatching, intimidation, and violence”. The characterisation was contained in a judgment on an application for judicial review. The previous ruling on a refugee status case was handed by the Immigration Appeal Division [IAD] on March 25, 2024. BACKGROUND Douglas Egharevba, the applicant who is Nigerian, had appealed the decision not to grant him asylum on the grounds that he was a member of the PDP and APC at different times. In January 2019,…

Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has called on “Obidients” — his supporters — and other Nigerians backing him to vote for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the forthcoming bye-elections scheduled for 16 August 2025. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the elections would take place in 16 states across the country, covering two senatorial districts, five federal constituencies and nine state assembly seats. Obi’s appeal follows the Labour Party’s exclusion from the polls after INEC failed to recognise any of its candidates due to the party’s unresolved leadership crisis. “On the 16th of August 2025. Nigerians…

NLC gives FG 7-day ultimatum to refund ‘diverted workers’ funds’, constitute PenCom board.The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the federal government to refund the allegedly diverted workers’ funds from the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF). In a communiqué issued at the end of the NLC central working committee (CWC) meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday, the congress condemned the diversion of 40 percent of workers’ contributions from the NSITF to the national coffers, describing it as a violation of the NSITF Act and an assault on workers’ social protection rights. “The CWC expressed outrage…

The Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called on the federal government to put social safety nets in place for poor Nigerians who are feeling the pains of President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms. Okonjo-Iweala stated this on Thursday after a meeting with the President at Aso Villa in Abuja. Though she commended the president for the economic reforms including petrol subsidy removal and the unification of the foreign exchange windows, the former Nigerian finance minister asked the government to ensure poor Nigerians have help to cope with the economic hardship occasioned by the reforms. She…

The Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Alabo Boma Iyaye, has received the Heart of Gold Award from a Non-Governmental Organisation, the Eve Afrique Empowerment Initiative. Receiving the Eve Afrique Redball Award, meant to celebrate outstanding Niger-Delta indigenes who have contributed to the development of the Niger Delta region, at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, Hon. Iyaye expressed delight at being among the distinguished individuals who were found worthy of the honour. He said: “I am deeply honoured to be one of the recipients of the Heart of Gold Award. I am humbled…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has inaugurated its Elective National Convention Zoning Committee ahead of the party’s national convention scheduled for November 15–16 in Ibadan, Oyo State. The 44-member committee, made up of 37 state representatives and 6 members from the party’s Board of Trustees, is chaired by Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, with Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, serving as Secretary. Speaking during the inauguration at the PDP National Secretariat in Abuja, the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, described the committee as the “engine room” for laying the political foundation of the party’s leadership for the…

The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has applauded the economic reforms of the Tinubu-led administration, affirming that the measures are progressing in the right direction. Okonjo-Iweala stated this on Thursday to State House Correspondents, while speaking on her meeting with the President at his residence, Presidential Villa, Abuja. Noting that the President and his team had worked hard to stabilise the Nigerian economy, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Okonjo-Iweala, commended President Bola Tinubu for initiating the stability, she emphasised that the president rightfully deserves credit for the notable achievements. “So we think that the President and…