Author: Vardiafrica

The Department of State Services (DSS) has distanced itself from the controversial arrest of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, in Kenya, insisting its operations are limited strictly to Nigeria’s territorial borders. This emerged during cross-examination of a prosecution witness, with code name BBB, an intelligence officer from the DSS. The cross examination of the prosecution witness resumed shortly after by Paul Erokoro, who conducted proceedings on behalf of the defence.‎‎Responding to questions, whether the DSS can be influenced by politicians or ministers, the witness stated that the agency is under the office of the…

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued a stark warning to the club’s hierarchy, threatening to walk away if his demand for a smaller squad is not met. Speaking on Wednesday, May 21, Guardiola made it clear that he has no interest in managing a bloated roster of players, insisting that he finds it morally troubling to sign players who would spend most of their time on the bench or excluded entirely. “I told the club I don’t want a big squad. I don’t want to put five or six players in the tribune — I don’t want that. I…

The Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has dismissed speculations that the technical glitch recorded in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, was part of a conspiracy against some parts of the country. Recall that the technical glitch affected the five states of the South-East zone and Lagos, with many alleging that the Board deliberately compromised the results of South-East candidates. Oloyede dismissed the speculations at a meeting with the management of the board ahead of the release of results of the rescheduled UTME examination on Wednesday. He stated further that the death…

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has said parliamentarians were not elected to engage in confrontation with the Executive but to foster policies that promote national development. Akpabio said this in an upcoming documentary to mark two years of the Bola Tinubu administration. “When elected into the National Assembly, whether in the Senate or the House of Representatives, your constituents will not give you boxing gloves. It’s not a boxing tournament. You are there to work in a bipartisan manner for the interest of Nigeria.” He emphasised that the relationship between both arms of government had been cordial over the past two…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has handed over 753 duplexes linked to Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to the ministry of housing and urban development. Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the EFCC, handed over the forfeited estate to Ahmed Dangiwa, the minister of housing and urban development, on Tuesday. The uncompleted estate is located in the Lokogoma district of the federal capital territory (FCT). A statement by Dangiwa said President Bola Tinubu had directed that the recovered estate be completed and made available to the Nigerian public through a “transparent and accountable” process. Dangiwa…

China, Qatar, Switzerland and others pledged over $170 million for the World Health Organization (WHO) at its assembly on Tuesday, the agency said, and countries also accepted higher fees to help offset the expected loss of the US, the top donor. “In a challenging climate for global health, these funds will help us to preserve and extend our life-saving work,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said in a statement on new donations covering 2025-2028. A WHO list showed that host Switzerland gave $40 million; Sweden gave $13.5 million; Angola gave $8 million; Qatar gave $6 million; while other pledges…

Africa has launched its first continental space agency to enhance Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more challenging global environment is restricting access to climate and weather information. The African Space Agency was inaugurated last month under the African Union’s umbrella and is based in Cairo. Currently in the process of establishment and recruiting key personnel, the agency will oversee coordination of existing national space programs. Its goal is to strengthen the continent’s space infrastructure by deploying satellites, installing weather stations, and ensuring data sharing across Africa and beyond. “Space activities across the continent have been…

Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Green Energy International Limited on Monday graduated 20 trainees in critical engineering competencies as part of a 12-month capacity building initiative for oil and gas industry operations. At a close-out ceremony at the NCDMB Training Centre in Yenagoa, trainees received international certification in their different areas of specialisation. For Piping Engineering, trainees received Autodesk Inventor Certificate, while others in Project Management and Engineering received America’s PMI (Project Management Institute) Certificate, the most widely recognised certification in the world. Trainees in Electrical Engineering had City and Guilds Certificate, while others in Safety Engineering…

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has retained the country’s interest rate at 27.50 per cent for the second time in 2025. The Governor of CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, disclosed this during a press briefing on Tuesday after the 300th MPC meeting in Abuja. “The Committee was unanimous in its agreement to hold all parameters,” he said This second pause in rates comes after six consecutive hikes recorded in 2024. More details shortly…

Members of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday staged a dramatic protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, shutting down operations by locking the main entrance and blocking vehicle access to the premises. Dressed in striking red T-shirts, the aggrieved unionists voiced their discontent over unpaid allowances and outstanding emoluments. Though they declined to speak directly to the media, placards displayed during the protest bore bold messages demanding the payment of salary arrears and delayed entitlements. The demonstration brought official activities at the ministry to a standstill and attracted the attention of civil servants, visitors, and passersby.…