Author: Vardiafrica

Driven to extend digital and financial inclusion across Africa, MTN Group and Airtel Africa have entered into agreements to share network infrastructure in Uganda and Nigeria, while ensuring compliance with local regulatory and statutory requirements. These sharing agreements target improved network cost efficiencies, expanded coverage and the provision of enhanced mobile services to millions of customers, particularly those in remote and rural areas who do not yet fully enjoy the benefits of a modern connected life. MTN Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Mupita said operators on the continent were seeing sustained demand for data services: “As MTN, we are…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved an extension of tenure for Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) through December 31, 2026. President Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, announcing the extension of tenure of Nandap, commended the Comptroller-General for her exemplary leadership and urged her to continue dedicating herself to the Service’s strategic priorities, which align with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to supporting the Nigeria Immigration Service in fulfilling its mandate to protect Nigeria’s territorial integrity and promote safe, legal, and orderly migration.…

The military-led governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have introduced a 0.5% levy on imported goods to finance their emerging three-state union, following their departure from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). It will also affect imports from Nigeria and other ECOWAS nations. The measure, announced in a joint statement, takes immediate effect and applies to all goods imported from outside the three nations, excluding humanitarian aid. The revenue will support the activities of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a bloc that started as a security pact in 2023 and has since expanded its ambitions toward…

President Trump declined to explicitly say he won’t stay in office past Jan. 20, 2029, telling reporters: “We have a long way to go before we can even think about that.” Trump’s remarks to reporters came on Air Force One on Sunday, as he returned to Washington from Florida, where he spent the weekend. Trump was repeatedly asked about his remarks earlier in the day to NBC News in which he was quoted as saying he “was not joking” about a third term in office. He told reporters Sunday night: “I’m not looking at that, but I’ll tell you I’ve…

Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff to suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has refuted allegations that he was involved in the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex on October 29, 2023. Former Rivers State Head of Service, George Nwaeke, had alleged controversially that Fubara and Ehie were masterminds of the burning of the Assembly Complex. However, Ehie, on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, said he had no hand in the activities of arsonists at the state assembly complex in 2023. He said, “It is very important to clarify that I was not, I had no hand and was not part…

Chief of Staff to the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, Hon Edison Ehie, has alleged that he was offered a N5 billion bribe to support the impeachment process of his principal, then as a speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Ehi, who did not mention the person that made the attempt to bribe, and disclosed this yesterday night on Channels TV interview, described Fubara as a man of peace, saying he turned down the money when he realised the purpose for the offer. Also, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and erstwhile…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, led a delegation of Abuja residents to the presidential villa on Sunday to pay Sallah homage to President Bola Tinubu. The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohamed Idris, and other prominent FCT indigenes were also present at the Sallah homage. President Tinubu commended Wike for working hard to give Abuja a befitting status as the nation’s capital city

A Nigerian boxer, Segun ‘Success’ Olanrewaju, on Saturday, died in Ghana during a boxing bout. Olarenwaju was a former National and West African light-heavyweight champion. He was competing against Ghanaian boxer, Jon Mbanugu, at Fight Night 15 of the Ghana Professional Boxing League at Bukom Boxing Arena when he suddenly lost consciousness. Reports indicate that he was ahead on points before the unfortunate incident occurred. A widely circulated video on social media captures the moment he collapsed in the ring, further shocking fans and the boxing community. Olanrewaju, a highly respected figure in Nigerian boxing, held both National and West…

President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Sunday, joined others for prayers at the National Eid ground in Abuja, as Nigerian Muslims mark the Eid-El-Fitr celebrations together with millions of others around the world Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and some ministers are also observing the prayer in the same venue. Eid-El-Fitr, meaning the festival of breaking the fast, is a time of gratitude, charity and communal harmony. It begins with special prayers known as Eid prayers held in Mosques and open spaces. Following the prayers, families share festive meals, exchange gifts…

Telecoms operator MTN South Africa and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite provider Lynk Global have carried out a successful technical trial of what they claim is Africa’s first direct satellite-to-mobile device phone call. “This marks the first satellite-to-unmodified-mobile phone call made on the African continent,” Lynk Global Chief Commercial Officer Dan Dooley said about the test, which took place on Thursday. The call took place in Vryburg – an agricultural town in the North West province of South Africa which has a population of about 21,000 – as part of a technical trial to test voice call quality and…