Author: Vardiafrica

The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, on Monday, announced that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate has dropped to 22.97 percent. NBS said the May 2025 headline inflation rate decreased 0.74 per cent compared to the April headline inflation rate. According to the statistics office, inflation declined significantly to 1.53 percent in May from 1.86 percent in April, on a month-on-month basis. This indicated a slower pace in the rise of prices across the economy. On a year-on-year basis, the NBS said the headline inflation rate was 10.98 per cent lower than the rate recorded in May 2024 (33.95 per cent). It…

President Bola Tinubu has said that he will clear his schedule to pay a condolence visit to the people of Benue State on Wednesday, following last Saturday’s attack in the Yelewata community that left scores of residents dead. “I will adjust my programme and go see Benue people on Wednesday,” Tinubu said on Monday when he inaugurated the Greater Abuja Water Supply Network in the nation’s capital. The President also sympathised with the people of the state and those who lost their loved ones in the attacks. He urged the people of the state to manage their diversity, anger, and…

WhatsApp on Monday unveiled its most ambitious advertising strategy to date, marking a significant transformation for the messaging platform that has largely avoided traditional ads since its inception. The announcement signals a strategic shift for the Meta-owned app, which has long promoted itself as a private, ad-free environment for personal messaging. The new features represent Meta’s clearest move yet to monetize WhatsApp’s vast user base of over two billion monthly active users without compromising its core promise of privacy. The update comes less than two years after WhatsApp’s leadership firmly denied reports that it was considering integrating advertisements, amid public…

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has summoned the management of Air Peace over rising complaints from passengers across the country regarding non-refunds for cancelled flights. In a statement on Monday, Ondaje Ijagwu, director of corporate affairs at the FCCPC, said the airline is expected to appear before the commission at its Abuja headquarters on June 23. “The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has summoned the management of Air Peace Limited over a deluge of consumer complaints from across the country relating to the non-refund of ticket fares, even in instances where the airline had cancelled…

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has attributed the recent wave of deadly attacks in the state to armed herders who enter communities without cattle, describing them as part of a growing security crisis involving bandits and terrorists. In an interview with Channels Television on Monday, June 16, Alia said the attackers have escalated from typical herder-farmer clashes to full-scale assaults by heavily armed individuals carrying AK-47 and AK-49 rifles. His comments follow the coordinated attacks on June 14 in Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area, where more than 100 people were killed. Reports indicate the death toll…

The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has kicked against Dangote Refinery’s move to distribute its petroleum products to outlets nationwide. Dangote Refinery announced during the weekend that it was getting ready to expand its fuel distribution across the nation. In a statement on Monday, signed by PETROAN’s national public relations officer, Joseph Obele, the association said this could lead to a monopoly in disguise. The association said the development could also pose a significant job loss threat to Nigeria. The statement reads: “The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has raised concerns about Dangote…

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Monday, arrived Benue State in North Central Nigeria where ferocious marauders wreaked havoc last Friday, killed scores and displaced hundreds of people. Egbetokun arrived the state in company of other senior management team and ordered for the immediate deployment of additional tactical teams. The police chief would meet with Governor Hyacinth Alia and other state actors before departing for Abuja. Benue State has been under heavy attacks by suspected herdsmen for some time. The killings have lingered for years, with some linking it to inter-communal conflicts as well as the quest…

Justice Halilu Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Monday granted ₦2 billion bail to former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, following his arraignment on an eight-count charge. The charges include unlawful acquisition of a 753-unit housing estate, alleged theft, and control of billions of naira through proxy accounts. In his ruling, Justice Yusuf acknowledged that Emefiele had previously been granted bail in three other criminal cases and had not violated any of those terms. He therefore granted bail under the condition that Emefiele must produce two sureties who each own property valued at ₦2…

President Bola Tinubu has directed security chiefs to implement his earlier directive to bring lasting peace and security to Benue State. President Tinubu renewed his order in the wake of the latest round of reprisal attacks that led to the death of many people. On the president’s directive, intelligence chiefs, the police and the military have arrived in the state to direct security operations and restore sanity. President Tinubu has equally charged the governor of Benue State with convening reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties to end the incessant bloodshed and bring lasting peace and harmonious coexistence between…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced the free distribution of petrol and diesel to marketers, dealers, and other large users across the country. In a statement on Sunday, the Lagos-based refinery said the initiative would commence on August 15, 2025. The refinery also said it has procured 4,000 brand-new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered tankers for take-off of the initiative. “In addition, the refinery will offer a credit facility to those purchasing a minimum of 500,000 litres—allowing them to obtain an additional 500,000 litres on credit for two weeks, under bank guarantee,” the statement read The refinery said it has also invested…