Author: Vardiafrica

Lawmakers in Nigeria’s House of Representatives have rejected a bill seeking a six-year single rotational term for the offices of the President, State Governors, and Local Government Area Chairpersons. The rejection occurred on Thursday following a voice vote by lawmakers who disagreed with the rationale behind the motion. Honourable Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere of Imo State and thirty-three others sponsored the bill, titled: “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), to Create a Single Term of Six Years for the Office of President and State Governors, Recognize the Division of Nigeria…

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif. In a statement, the ICC revealed that its pre-trial chamber had dismissed Israel’s objections to its jurisdiction and approved the arrest warrants. While the Israeli military has claimed Deif was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July, the ICC prosecution noted it was not in a position to confirm his death The judges stated there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu, Gallant, and Deif bear “criminal responsibility” for alleged war…

Simon Ekpa, a Finnish-Nigerian separatist agitator and self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government In-Exile, has been arrested in Finland alongside four other individuals for alleged terror-related offenses. Local reports indicate that Ekpa was remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court on charges of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent. In a statement released on Thursday, November 21, the Finnish Central Criminal Police confirmed the arrest of five individuals suspected of terrorist activities. The four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime,” while Simon Ekpa, the primary suspect, was arrested “on suspicion of public…

After several minutes of deliberation, the Senate has granted approval to the ₦1.77 trillion ($2.2billion) loan request brought before it by President Bola Tinubu. The funds was approved by the lawmakers after a voice vote in favor of the request which had divided Nigerians with some backing the president’s moves while others kicked against it. Tinubu’s loan request approved on Thursday during plenary chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, would be used to partially finance the 9.7 trillion naira deficit of the 2024 fiscal year. The approval was granted after the the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has emphasised the importance of its partnership with Chevron Nigeria Limited on the construction of the 70.75km Omadino-Okerenkoko-Escravos Road and bridges in the Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State. The NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, spoke on the project when he led a delegation of the Commission’s Executive Management and Directors to meet with the Chevron Management led by the Director, NNPCL/Chevron Joint Venture, Dr Segun Kuteyi, at the Chevron headquarters in Lagos. Ogbuku restated the commitment of the NDDC to the completion of the Omadino-Escravos Road, which he said would…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) has announced the official unveiling of its latest crude oil grade, the Utapate crude oil blend, before the international crude oil market. The development is a major boost for Nigeria’s crude oil production, revenue generation and economic growth efforts, according to the NNPCL. In a statement signed by its Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, on Wednesday in Abuja, the NNPCL stated that the new product was unveiled before a packed audience of European crude oil marketers at the ongoing Argus European Crude Conference taking place in London, England. It would be recalled…

Members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) are holding a physical meeting at its secretariat in Abuja. The meeting which was slated for 8 O’clock is yet to commence in earnest, as only a few governors have arrived at the venue. Some of the governors already present include the governors of Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara). Others included Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi ), Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Nasir Idris (Kebbi) and Usman Ododo (Kogi). A copy of the the agenda distributed to journalists shows that the governors will be…

Google has unveiled new protective measures to safeguard Android users in Africa against smartphone theft. Among the innovations is the Theft Detection Lock, which analyses device signals to identify possible theft attempts. In such cases, the feature locks the screen to prevent unauthorised access to sensitive data. The company has also introduced the Offline Device Lock, designed to protect users if thieves take devices offline to extract data or avoid a remote wipe via Android’s Find My Device. If a device remains offline and unlocked for an extended period, the screen will automatically lock to render the phone unusable. Another addition is the Remote…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented a certificate of return to Lucky Aiyedatiwa, governor-elect of Ondo state and his deputy Olayide Adelami. The certificate was presented on Wednesday by Kunle Ajayi, INEC supervising national commissioner for Ondo and Toyin Babalola, Ondo resident electoral commissioner (REC) at the INEC headquarters in Abuja. Aiyedatiwa, the incumbent governor of Ondo state and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), won the election in all 18 LGAs with 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 117,845 votes. Nejo Adeyemi, candidate of the…

President Bola Tinubu has announced the creation of the National Engineering and Innovation Fund at the 2024 International Engineering Conference, Exhibition, and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in Abuja aimed at developing engineering innovation and entrepreneurship in Nigeria. He is represented by the Minister of State for Works, Mr. Bello Goronyo who disclosed the theme of the conference as “Sustainable Engineering Solutions to Food Security and Climate Change,” stating the importance of leveraging engineering expertise to address critical national challenges. “I am proud to announce the establishment of the National Engineering and Innovation Fund. “This initiative is…