Author: Vardiafrica

Nigeria and Brazil have set up a joint team to finalise the direct flight agreement. Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s minister of aviation and aerospace development, met with Silvio Costa Filho, Brazil’s minister of ports and airports, at the ministry’s headquarters in Brasília, the capital of the South American country. On October 7, 2024, Nigeria commenced discussions with Brazil to facilitate direct flights between both countries. According to a statement on Wednesday by Tunde Moshood, special adviser on media and communications to the minister, the meeting marked a renewed commitment by both countries to finalise the bilateral air service agreement (BASA) that has long…

Sheriff Oborevwori, the governor of Delta, met with President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja. The meeting was Oborevwori’s first official visit to Tinubu since his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The governor described the meeting with the president as “insightful” and said it was aimed at unlocking long-term opportunities for growth. “It was an honour to meet with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) earlier today at the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock, Abuja,” he wrote in a post on X. “We engaged in an insightful conversation that will unlock sustainable growth for the future.” Tinubu…

A young Nigerian inventor has set a new Guinness World Record for creating the smallest GPS tracking device prototype. Oluwatobi Oyinlola’s GPS tracker measures 22.93 mm x 11.92 mm and is almost the size of a mobile phone sim card. It has been hailed as a huge step in the trend of manufacturing smaller electronic products and devices. “Oluwatobi believes in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, especially when it comes to miniaturizing technology,” the Guinness World Records (GWR) said in a statement. Global Positioning System (GPS) is a technology that enables users to track and monitor locations of devices fitted that have…

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunde Alausa says the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and National Examinations Council (NECO) will adopt Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for their examinations fully by 2026 The minister made this announcement during a monitoring visit to the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory The minister said WAEC and NECO will begin conducting objective exams via CBT in November 2025 and By May-June 2026, both objective and essay components of the exams will be conducted via CBT. “We’re going to get WAEC and…

The Nigerian Senate has approved a two-day national security summit aimed at addressing the rising insecurity across the country, with lawmakers warning that bandits are taking over communities and servicemen are dying daily. The resolution was adopted on Tuesday following a motion sponsored by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who represents Ondo South Senatorial District. He linked the escalating insecurity to global crises, including the Russia-Ukraine war and tensions between global powers. According to him, the “recent events in our region have led to feelings of discomfort and insecurity, which have placed the past accomplishments of our security forces at risk, even…

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has launched a new service called NIN Authentication (NINAuth) for secure and seamless identity verification and authentication. According to a statement from the Commission, following the launch, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the use of the NIN Authentication for verification and authentication across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). This, it said, is in line with the Commission’s mandate of regulating a reliable National Digital Identity for citizens and legal residents to affirm their identity What is NIN Authentication (NINAuth)? NIMC described the new initiative as a cutting-edge suite of services that include web,…

Citizens of Nigeria and Pakistan might be restricted from applying for United Kingdom (UK) visas, the UK Home Office has announced. According to The Times, a UK-based publication, the UK is moving to prevent citizens of countries that are likely to stay in the region beyond the approved duration and eventually seek asylum. Nigeria, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were highlighted as countries in this category. To prevent this, the UK Government has said citizens of these countries may face tougher restrictions when applying to work or study in the UK. “Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive…

The Federal Government has approved the National Integrated Electricity Policy (NIEP)—a landmark blueprint poised to reshape Nigeria’s power landscape, enhance sector governance, and drive investment across the electricity value chain. The approval was granted at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on Monday, marking a significant milestone for the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). This was disclosed by Mr. Bolaji Tunji, Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations to the Minister of Power, in a statement issued in Abuja. According to Tunji, the NIEP—initially drafted in December 2024 and submitted to President Bola Tinubu—serves as a comprehensive national…

Aliko Dangote, founder of the Dangote Group, says some major oil marketers and traders are bent on frustrating President Bola Tinubu’s attempts to restructure the country’s economy. Dangote spoke to State House journalists after a meeting with the president in Abuja on Monday. On May 1, Dangote said he is still fighting for the survival of his $20 billion refinery. Responding to inquiries about his statement on being determined to fight cabals in the oil sector to a standstill, Dangote clarified that his comments were not related to the new leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. He said the…

Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said this on Monday after the FEC meeting in Abuja. Mohammed said the policy would soon be backed by an executive order. “This policy means Nigeria comes first in all procurement processes; no foreign goods or devices that are already being produced locally will be procured without a clear and justified reason,” the minister said while briefing correspondents at the State House. “Now this seeks to foster a new business culture that will be bold, confident, but also very, very Nigerian. It aims at making the government invest in our people…