Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Tinubu says his administration will remove all barriers confronting Nigeria’s agricultural potential, particularly in livestock production, in a push towards food sovereignty and global exports.‎‎Tinubu made the pledge at a bilateral meeting with the Brazilian President, Lula da Silva, on Saturday at the Copacabana Forte in Brazil.‎This was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Strategic Communications, Mr Bayo Onanuga, in Abuja.‎According to the president, excessive bureaucracy had delayed progress in agriculture, and Nigeria was undertaking reforms to make the sector globally competitive.‎‎He described agriculture as a key area where Nigeria holds a natural competitive advantage…

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the south-south have endorsed President Bola Tinubu and three governors of the zone for the 2027 elections. The stakeholders announced the resolution after a meeting in Benin, the Edo state capital. The meeting was attended by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Adams Oshiomhole, Edo north senator; Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation; Ali Dalori, APC acting national chairman; Victor Giadom, APC national vice-chairman, and governors of the geopolitical zone. In a communique signed by Keyamo, the APC south-south stakeholders passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu and four governors. The governors are Bassey Otu, governor…

Speaking during the inspection of the project, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, reiterated the Commission’s determination to deliver the road alongside several others, stressing that it was a mandate from President Bola Tinubu. Ogbuku, who was accompanied by the Executive Director Projects, Sir Victor Antai, and other Directors of the Commission, also paid a courtesy visit to the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, in his palace. The NDDC Chief Executive Officer informed the Bonny Monarch that, beyond visiting to inspect the ring road project, the Commission was…

The recently held 2025 Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Conference in Abuja highlighted the pivotal role of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in advancing local content policies and driving Nigeria’s energy sector transformation. At different sessions at the conference, leaders of the of the Nigerian oil and gas industry lauded the contributions of NCDMB and highlighted the impact the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act has played in transforming the oil and gas landscape, emphasising the need for continued support by Government and other stakeholders Through strategic initiatives, partnerships, and policy advocacy, NCDMB has empowered indigenous companies, fostered economic resilience, and…

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 17th BRICS summit. The presidential aircraft, which took off from Saint Lucia earlier on Friday, touched down at Rio International Airport around 8:45pm local time. On arrival, Tinubu was welcomed by Carlos Sergio Sobral Duarte, Brazil’s secretary for Africa and the Middle East. The Nigerian leader is one of four African presidents attending this year’s summit. Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, said Tinubu’s participation follows an invitation from Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil. He said Nigeria is attending the meeting as a “partner country”, which ranks…

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, has urged President Bola Tinubu to make public the long-suppressed forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), insisting that the document contains damning allegations against former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. Wike, who appeared on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme monitored in Abuja on Friday, said he would resign from office if the report does not indict Amaechi as he claimed. “If what I am saying is not in the document, I will resign as Minister of the FCT. I said I will resign. I don’t worship office,” Wike…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has pledged its full commitment to implementing the recently introduced “Nigeria First” policy, a key directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration aimed at boosting local production and patronage of locally made goods and services, reducing dependence on imported items. The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe made this commitment at the opening ceremony of the ongoing NOG Energy Week in Abuja on Monday. He described the policy as a strong reinforcement of the Board’s core mandate of promoting Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry. “For Nigeria, energy sufficiency goes beyond…

Mali’s military leader Gen Assimi Goïta has been granted a five-year presidential term by the transitional parliament, which is renewable without elections. The junta leader, who has seized power twice, had promised the return of democracy last year, but it never materialised. The bill granting his new mandate said it could be renewed “as many times as necessary” and until Mali was “pacified”. It clears Gen Goïta to lead the West African country until at least 2030, with many fearing the move could lead to the repression of the opposition or dissenting opinions. The 41-year-old military leader was named transitional…

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Senate to recall the suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Delivering judgement, Justice Nyako described as excessive the six-month suspension that was imposed on the lawmaker by the Senate. The judge faulted the provision in Chapter 8 of the Senate Standing Rules, as well as Section 14 of the Legislative Houses, Powers, and Privileges Act, declaring both to be overreaching. The court also held that Senate President Godswill Akpabio was not wrong to have denied Senator Natasha, who was not in the official seat that was allotted…

Burkina Faso has withdrawn the licences of four foreign NGOs to operate in the junta-led country and suspended two other associations, according to decrees seen by AFP on Friday. The decrees dated mid-June cited a government minister as saying the decision against the four NGOs was due to formality breaches. Burkina’s military junta, which seized power in a September 2022 coup, has made the return of national sovereignty one of its priorities. Authorities regularly repress dissent, notably within civil society and the media, claiming it as part of the battle against jihadist violence that has plagued the west African country…