Author: Vardiafrica

White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, signalling that cardinals locked inside have elected a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. Thousands of pilgrims and curious onlookers in St Peter’s Square cheered and applauded as the smoke appeared and bells began to ring, indicating the 2,000-year-old institution has its 267th pope. All eyes now turn to the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica, to see who has been elected to succeed Pope Francis, an Argentine reformer who died last month after 12 years as leader of the worldwide Church. The new pontiff will be…

President Bola Tinubu is has arrived in Awka, the capital of Anambra State, for his first official visit to the state. Tinubu, who arrived at the Chinua Achebe Airport in Anambra around 12:15pm, was received by Governor Chukwuma Soludo. During his visit, Tinubu inaugurate Anambra State’s first-ever Government House on Thursday, marking a historic milestone more than 30 years after the state’s creation. Tinubu will also inaugurate several other projects done by the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, the Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Ifeanyi Okoma, said the people of the state are filled…

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by MultiChoice Nigeria, owners of DStv and GOtv, challenging the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission’s (FCCPC) intervention in its recent subscription price hike. Delivering judgment, Justice Omotoso ruled that the suit constituted an abuse of court process as similar proceedings were already pending in Lagos State. He stressed that the plaintiff should have pursued its arguments in that court, rendering the current filing inappropriate. Justice Omotoso, however, noted that while the FCCPC has investigative powers under its establishing Act, it lacks the authority to fix…

The Kano State Government has banned all live political programmes on radio and television, taking decisive action to preserve public decency and curb the spread of inflammatory rhetoric. The State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, announced the ban during a meeting with media executives, where he emphasised the need for ethical broadcasting that respects the state’s cultural and religious values. According to Comrade Waiya, the ban is not an attempt to suppress political opinions, but a strategic effort to prevent the broadcast of inflammatory or defamatory content that could undermine the peace and moral fabric of…

The Federal Government has announced the end of its Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) Scholarship Programme, a scheme that funded Nigerian students to study abroad. The Minister of Education, Maruf Olatunji Alausa, made this disclosure on Wednesday while addressing the public in Abuja. Alausa explained that the decision follows a thorough policy review aimed at consolidating national investment in domestic tertiary institutions. “Every course Nigerians travel abroad to study through the BEA is now available and often of higher quality within our own universities and polytechnics,” Alausa said. “It is no longer justifiable to fund overseas studies with public resources when…

After spending five consecutive days in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), popular Nigerian social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has finally regained his freedom. The activist, known for his blunt commentaries and online exposés on societal ills, was arrested last week following what the EFCC described as “multiple petitions” lodged against him by unnamed individuals. He was released by the EFCC to his lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, on Wednesday evening. Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, who spoke to him on phone confirmed the news. “Thanks to unrelenting efforts of all @thatverydarkman has been…

The Federal Government has launched the Nigeria Virtual Privacy Academy, a new digital training platform designed to deepen data protection and privacy practices across the country’s public and private sectors. The initiative was unveiled by Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, at the 8th annual conference of the Network of African Data Protection Authorities (NADPA), which kicked off in Abuja on Tuesday. Speaking at the event, Dr. Tijani said the academy is a key part of Nigeria’s broader strategy to harness the benefits of a digital economy by equipping stakeholders with the tools and knowledge to…

The President of the Republic of Gabon, His Excellency, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, has conferred the nation’s honours – the Commander in the National Order of Gabonese Merit – on the Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu. The distinguished award recognises Elumelu’s enduring contribution to Africa’s economic development, particularly his impact on youth entrepreneurship and infrastructure growth in Gabon and across the continent. Speaking at the presidential palace while presenting the recognition in Libreville on Monday, Nguema, who was on Saturday sworn in as the newly elected…

The governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, has banned the sale of alcoholic beverages while accusing military and other security personnel of promoting criminality and antisocial vices in Maiduguri and its environs. The Governor said that ex and current serving personnel of the Nigerian security forces have played a significant role in influencing the civilian populace into criminality, radicalism, prostitution and other vices, heightening terrorism threats in the state. The governor said this on Tuesday at the inauguration of a reconstituted committee on “revocation of illegal hotels, brothels, shanties, and criminal hideouts and curbing the menace of antisocial vices”…

ExxonMobil has affirmed its long-term commitment to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector with a planned investment of $1.5 billion in deepwater exploration and development of the Usan oilfield. Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) revealed this in a statement on its X handle on Tuesday. According to the Commission, the financial commitment will be implemented between Q2, 2025 and 2027. This announcement, it said, was made during a visit by ExxonMobil’s Managing Director in Nigeria, Shane Harris, to the Commission’s Chief Executive of the NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe The company proposed a Final Investment Decision (FID) for late Q3, 2025, subject…