Author: Vardiafrica

The United States has launched three culture and education programmes in Nigeria.  Assistant Secretary for Culture and Education at the Department of State, Lee Satterfield, made this known at the University of Lagos on Wednesday where she made a foreign policy statement on the new programmes. Her visit was a follow-up to Presiden Joe Biden’s meeting with African leaders in Washington DC 2022 and the visit of US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who was in Nigeria earlier in January. Satterfield announced the launch of the African Creative Initiative in TV, American Music Mentorship Programme for those in the creative…

The First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reiterated the call to Nigerians, to get more involved in agricultural production, saying “We can grow our food. Everybody should grow something”. She spoke when she received the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed in her office on Wednesday at the State House, Abuja. The First Lady noted, that the various interventions of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), especially in the areas of agriculture, empowerment, education, health and social welfare, were to complement the efforts of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. “The President has made…

The Senate has passed the Student Loans Access to Higher Education) Act (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2024. The passage followed the consideration of a report of the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), presented by the Chairman representing Katsina South, Sen. Mohammed Muntari. This is as the bill, last week, passed a second reading. President Bola Tinubu had last week, written to the Senate and the House of Representatives, seeking the repeal of the Student Loan (Access to Higher Education) Bill, and to enact a new one. The new act will enhance the implementation of the…

As global calls for transition to cleaner energy fuels continue to grow, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) Ltd. Mele Kyari has said the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the $25bn Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline (NMGP) project will be taken in December 2024. Kyari revealed this while speaking during a Leadership Dialogue Session at the ongoing CERAWeek Conference in Houston, United States on Tuesday. According to him, the NMGP which is at an advanced stage, will create a pipeline that will pass through thirteen African countries to Europe, adding that the FID for the $25bn…

A bill seeking to grant five-month leave to persons who lose their spouse has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives. Sponsored by Honourable Saidu Abdullahi, the bill seeks to enable the widow or widower mourn the deceased spouse and make immediate arrangements for the challenges ahead. Honourable Saidu argues that there is a need for consideration of the bill on cultural and religious grounds. Abdullahi said the bill is designed to place Nigeria among the top countries in the world in terms of workers welfare as the law exist in many countries. According to him, research findings had…

Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja has refused to grant an ex-parte motion filed by the deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, seeking an interim order to stop the impeachment process by the state’s House of Assembly. In the suit, Shaibu sought an order of the court restricting the third to fifth defendants from commencing any process by holding proceedings or setting up any panel of investigation for his removal, pending the hearing of a motion on notice. He also sought an interim injunction restraining the defendants, whether by themselves or their agents, from interfering…

Zenith Bank has appointed Adaora Umeoji as its new group managing director and chief executive officer (GMD/CEO). The bank disclosed this on Tuesday, in a corporate filing on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX), signed by Michael Osilima, its secretary. According to the financial institution, Umeoji’s appointment will take effect from June 1, 2024. Umeoji’s appointment makes her the first female to take up the position, Zenith Bank said. Financial firm said she will replace Ebenezer Onyeagwu whose five-year tenure as GMD/CEO elapses on May 31 this year. Prior to Umeoji’s appointment as CEO, according to the bank’s corporate filing, she…

In what was his first public appearance since reports of his death started spreading online, United Kingdom’s King Charles III hosted Korean War veterans at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The royal family said this in a post on social media. “This morning, the King met veterans of the Korean War at Buckingham Palace to mark 70 years since the signing of the armistice which ended the conflict,” the royal family said in the post. The UK embassy in Russia had to publish a statement on Monday after reports about the 75-year-old’s death from cancer appeared online, saying that “reports about…

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says those involved in the killing of soldiers in the Okuama community in Bomadi LGA of Delta, may be mercenaries. On March 14, some armed men attacked and killed 17 personnel of the Nigerian army during a peace mission to the community. Speaking on Tuesday during a debate on two merged motions, Akpabio said the nation is not at war and called for peace to be restored in the community. “We condemn this dastardly act. It portends danger for the entire society. Every single culprit involved must be brought out to face the full wrath of the law,”…

Global temperatures “smashed” heat records last year, as heatwaves stalked oceans and glaciers suffered record ice loss, the United Nations said Tuesday — warning 2024 was likely to be even hotter. The annual State of the Climate report by the UN weather and climate agency confirmed preliminary data showing 2023 was by far the hottest year ever recorded. And last year capped off “the warmest 10-year period on record”, the World Meteorological Organization said, with even hotter temperatures expected. “There is a high probability that 2024 will again break the record of 2023”, WMO climate monitoring chief Omar Baddour told reporters.…