Author: Vardiafrica

The United States says its second round of talks with Nigeria under a joint working group focused on protecting Christian communities in the Middle Belt, strengthening judicial and security institutions to hold perpetrators of violence accountable, and expanding military-to-military cooperation. The meetings began on Wednesday and continued into Thursday in Washington. Nuhu Ribadu, national security adviser (NSA), led the Nigerian delegation, while Allison Hooker, under-secretary of state, headed the US team. A statement issued by the US State Department said Hooker and the Nigerian delegation reviewed progress on internally displaced persons’ (IDP) resettlement to their ancestral homes, counterterrorism prosecutions, and combatting the financing…

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission and the security agencies to ensure a peaceful and transparent election in Osun State. The people of Osun State will go to the polls on Saturday, August 15, 2026, to elect their governor in an election where 15 candidates are contesting. Among them are the incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, the All Progressives Congress candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam. In a statement by the Special Adviser, information and strategy Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu charges the electorate in Osun State to come out to…

China has approved a RMB200 million grant to support Nigeria’s economic development and the implementation of projects agreed upon by both governments. Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Yu Dunhai, disclosed this on Wednesday, during a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dunoma Ahmed. Ambassador Yu said the grant was part of China’s continued support for Nigeria’s national development and economic growth. He noted that, over the past 55 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Nigeria, bilateral ties have remained at the forefront of China-Africa relations. According to him, the China-Nigeria Comprehensive Strategic…

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) have broken ground for a Research and Innovation Centre for Computer and Electrical Engineering (RICCEE) at Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, in a move aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s indigenous research, technological capacity and engineering skills.  Africans& Diaspora The project, described by NLNG as its largest human capital development institutional strengthening initiative to date, is designed to expand the university’s capacity for advanced, industry-relevant research, specialised training and the development of technological solutions for Nigeria’s energy and industrial sectors. The centre will also host a professorial chair and…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has met with the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), pledging his administration’s commitment to reviving the nation’s refineries and strengthening the energy sector. President Tinubu, during an audience with the union led by its National President, Comrade Salimon Akanni Oladiti, on Thursday at the State House, Abuja, assured that the country’s refineries would return to operation, stressing that their revival must be anchored on profitability and sustainable economic value. The President also defended the removal of fuel subsidy as part of the economic reset necessary to reposition the country,…

The Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has given Seplat Energy, Network E&P Nigeria Limited and two other oil companies a 48-hour ultimatum to appear before it and respond to queries contained in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 audit reports of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). The committee, chaired by Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, warned that failure to honour the invitation could lead to the invocation of the National Assembly’s legislative powers against the affected companies. The decision followed concerns raised by members of the committee over the failure of the companies to appear before it to respond to…

The Nigeria Police Force has barred the Western Nigeria Security Network, popularly known as Amotekun, vigilante groups and other non-state security outfits from participating in security operations for Saturday’s Osun State governorship election. The police said the groups had no role in securing the election and warned political parties, candidates and their supporters against engaging, arming or deploying them for election-related purposes. The warning was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu. The election is scheduled to hold across the 30 Local…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a new investment framework aimed at unlocking up to $50 billion in deep offshore investments and reviving major projects stalled for decades. The reform establishes a transparent, rules-based investment framework capable of supporting the next generation of deep offshore developments, beginning with the approximately US$10 billion Bonga South West project, while strengthening Nigeria’s competitiveness for globally mobile investment capital. A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga , stated that the decision builds on President Tinubu’s engagement with the Chief Executive Officer of Shell plc,…

The Nigeria Football Federation has apologised to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians after the Super Falcons failed to secure one of the direct qualification tickets for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup at the ongoing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. NFF President Ibrahim Musa Gusau issued the apology on behalf of the federation’s Executive Committee, the Super Falcons and the wider Nigerian football community, acknowledging the disappointment caused by the team’s failure to qualify directly. The federation said it recognised the expectations of millions of Nigerians who support the nine-time African champions and identified with the team. The NFF also…

Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, on Sunday received members of the reconciliation committee of the rainbow coalition at the government house in Port Harcourt. The committee, which is backed by Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), was led by Magnus Abe, chairman of the board of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). The rainbow coalition is a cross-party political alliance in Rivers state, spearheaded by Wike to unite politicians across party lines in support of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid. The reconciliation committee was established after Wike declared an end to the protracted political feud with Fubara. The…