Author: Vardiafrica

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has granted a license for the commencement of domestic flight operations by Enugu Air. The disclosure was contained in a statement signed by the NCAA Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, on Monday. Enugu Air was officially inaugurated on Monday, July 7, 2025, by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, at a ceremony attended by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah. The airline commenced commercial operations with three Embraer 170 aircraft, each with a seating capacity of approximately 76 passengers. The interim license by the NCAA, however, was for…

The United States Mission in Nigeria has commenced the screening of social media accounts belonging to Nigerian applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas as part of new vetting procedures aimed at enhancing national security. “Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the privacy settings on all of their personal social media accounts to ‘public’,” the embassy announced via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday. The directive, which takes immediate effect, applies to Nigerians seeking to study or participate in exchange programmes in the United States under…

The NNPC Ltd has handed over thirty-five (35) hybrid Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered buses to the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi-CNG). During a brief ceremony held at the NNPC Towers on Monday, the Group CEO, NNPC Ltd, Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari reiterated the Company’s commitment to support Federal Government’s gas aspirations. The GCEO, who stated that the move was in line with NNPC Ltd.’s efforts to drive the adoption of CNG as a cleaner, cheaper and sustainable fuel alternative, added that the Company has recorded significant progress on gas supply, infrastructure, distribution and retail outlets. “I am proud…

Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has called on the Nigerian judiciary to enhance trust and efficiency within the country’s capital market. VP Shettima, together with the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka Anite, the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission Dr. Emomotimi Agama and other stakeholders in the capital market stressed that the judiciary has a critical role in driving the agenda of the federal government to achieve the N1tn target for the Nigerian economy. Speaking at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Judges’ Workshop in Abuja, Shettima highlighted how effective dispute resolution mechanisms underpin investor confidence and…

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to send additional defensive weapons to Ukraine after his administration paused certain shipments last week. “We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to—they have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump said ahead of a dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They’re getting hit very hard. We’re going to have to send more weapons. Defensive weapons, primarily, but they’re getting hit very, very hard.” His comments follow reports that the administration had paused some weapons shipments, including air defense missiles, after a review of military spending and foreign support. A…

Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the federal capital territory (FCT), says Nyesom Wike’s conduct is fuelling resentment among residents. Speaking on ‘Political Paradigm’, a programme on Channels Television, Kingibe said Wike is out of touch with the needs of the people. “Most of Abuja is pitch dark,” she said. “So I go there, put solar lights in between the places, light up the place so that young people will at least have… you can’t keep them at home, so they’ll at least be safer. “They will come give me awards, commend me for looking out for them. It’s not that he (Wike) wouldn’t have…

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has stated that all of its branches throughout the country would cease operations owing to the delay in the payment of June 2025 salaries. The union highlighted the adoption of its “No Pay, No Work” resolution as the cause of this action. ASUU sections at two federal universities, the University of Jos and the University of Abuja, have already begun strike in accordance with the mandate. ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development to Newsmen on Monday in Abuja, explaining that the institutions awere merely implementing a resolution by…

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview released on Monday that Israel, which last month fought a 12-day war with Iran, had attempted to assassinate him. “They did try, yes. They acted accordingly, but they failed,” Pezeshkian told US media figure Tucker Carlson in response to a question on whether he believed Israel had tried to kill him. “It was not the United States that was behind the attempt on my life. It was Israel. I was in a meeting… they tried to bombard the area in which we were holding that meeting,” he said according to a translation…

Nigerian athlete Chukwuebuka Enekwechi has made history as the first African to throw over 22 meters in the men’s shot put. At the Eugene Diamond League in the United States last weekend, Enekwechi clinched third place with a record-breaking throw of 22.10 meters, smashing his previous personal best of 21.91m set at the same event last year. The impressive feat came in a highly competitive event, where Joe Kovacs took first place with a world-leading throw of 22.48m, while Roger Steen edged past Enekwechi for second, throwing 22.11m on his fifth attempt. Enekwechi gave his all in a final attempt…

President Bola Tinubu has called for a reevaluation of the current global governance structure and the financial and healthcare systems, urging greater equity and inclusion for low-income and emerging economies, particularly in Africa. At the 17th meeting of the Global South and the Emerging Economies bloc, BRICS, on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the President stated that environmental degradation, the climate crisis, and healthcare inequalities should receive more attention, as they contribute to slowing growth and development. President Tinubu, invited to the summit by Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, stated that Nigeria supports the BRICS position on…