Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Tinubu has nominated Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as the administrator of Rivers state. Ibas will be responsible for overseeing the affairs of the state for at least six months. The president had earlier on Tuesday declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the persistent political crisis and instability in the state. Tinubu also suspended the governor, his deputy and the members of the state assembly. The president, however, said the state of emergency declaration “does not affect the judicial arm of Rivers State, which shall continue to function in accordance with their constitutional mandate”. More to follow…

President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency in Rivers State. Tinubu made the proclamation during a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday. Tinubu also suspended the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu and all members of the state House of Assembly for six months. He said, “The governor of Rivers State demolished the House of Assembly but has failed to rebuild the building till date “Many Nigerians have intervened and leaders of thought have intervened all to no avail. “The Supreme Court pronounced in very glaring terms that a government cannot run without an arm…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has revoked the land occupancy rights of the national secretariat of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja. In a letter dated March 13, 2025, and addressed to the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum, the Director of Land Administration at the FCT Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze, hinged the revocation on the non-payment of ground rent by the party. The letter was titled, ‘Notice of Revocation of Right of Occupancy With File No. MISC 81346 in respect of Plot No.243 within Central Area District, Abuja’. The FCTA official alleged that…

The House of Representatives has passed four major tax reform bills—the Nigeria Tax Bill, Tax Administration Bill, Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill, and Nigeria Revenue Service Bill—after they scaled third reading during plenary on Tuesday. The bills, which were transmitted by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly on October 3, 2024, initially faced strong opposition, particularly from northern governors. They argued that the proposed reforms could disadvantage their region and called for a fairer implementation. However, in January, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) reached a consensus on an equitable VAT-sharing formula, ultimately endorsing the bills. The Senate passed the…

An explosion occurred at the Trans-Niger Pipeline at Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State. The blast, which occurred late Monday night, sent thick plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky by Tuesday morning, raising alarm over the environmental and economic fallout. Dramatic footage from the scene shows flames consuming a section of the pipeline as the inferno spread rapidly. The cause of the explosion remains unknown, but the incident comes amid rising tensions in the region. When contacted, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, stated that she had yet to receive full details…

The Federal Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program and called for the registration of vocational centres to enhance industry-relevant skill development in Nigeria. The announcement was made in a press statement by Boriowo Folasade, Director, Press & Public Relations, Ministry of Education. As part of the initiative, the Ministry, through the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), has called on Skill Training Centres (STCs), Vocational Enterprise Institutions (VEIs), and Mastercraft Persons (MCPs) to register for accreditation, which will enable them to access government funding for training candidates. “As part of its…

The Federal Government has announced plans to establish Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion centres and refuelling stations in 20 federal tertiary institutions across Nigeria. The initiative, led by the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF) in collaboration with Femadec Energy, aims to promote clean energy adoption and reduce transportation costs for students and lecturers. The announcement was conveyed in a statement posted on the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Presidency of Nigeria on Monday. “In alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to affordable, clean, and sustainable energy, the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF), in…

As part of measures to ensure food security in the country, Nigeria and Brazil have signed the commercial phase of the $1.1 billion Green Imperative Project (GIP) to boost agriculture productivity and enhance private-sector investment in Nigeria. GIP, the largest agricultural project in Africa which priotises the development of sustainable, low-carbon agriculture, aims to develop structural conditions to boost food production in Nigeria in an efficient and competitive manner. The MoU for the $1.1 billion GIP 1 was signed in 2018, while the $4.3 billion phase 2 of the project and the $2.5 billion JBS were signed in Brazil during…

NNPC Limited has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that funds allocated under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) are effectively utilized to deliver meaningful development in host communities. This pledge was made during a stakeholder engagement session held with the KEFFESO Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT), a cluster of host communities comprising Koluama 1 and 2, Ezetu 1 and 2, Foropa, Fish Town, Ekeni, Sangana, Opu Okumbiri, Okumbiribeleu, and Oginibiri in Bayelsa State, under the NNPC Limited/FIRST Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (FIRST E&P) JV, at the weekend. Speaking at the engagement session which held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the Chief…

The leadership of the House of Representatives, on Monday, joined President Bola Tinubu to break fast at Aso Rock, pledging their support to the President and donating N705m, being half of their salaries, to government’s humanitarian efforts. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, thanked President Tinubu for the invitation to break fast with him and for always showing respect and concern for the House of Representatives. “As we all know, the month of Ramadan entails many things, one of them is reflection; where were you before, where are you now and where do you want to be?…