Author: Vardiafrica

The Governors of the 19 Northern States on Monday met with traditional rulers from the region in Kaduna State to discuss critical issues affecting the region. The meeting was part of the Northern States Governors’ Forum’s efforts to engage with key stakeholders and address pressing concerns, especially the lingering insecurity, poverty, out-of-school children, constant power outages, and other socio-economic challenges ravaging the region. The meeting which was chaired by the Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, and hosted by Governor Uba Sani at Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House in Kaduna, has in attendance the governors…

President Bola Tinubu’s spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, has said the President is not as heartless as social media makes him out to be. Onanuga assures that Tinubu truly feels the struggles of Nigerians and is committed to turning things around for the better. He emphasized on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics that Tinubu is not “T-Pain,” a nickname some people have been using to describe him online. Onanuga said Tinubu’s administration is focused on revitalizing Nigeria’s economy, not causing harm to its citizens. According to the presidential aide, Tinubu is committed to “repairing the economy” despite the current challenges of galloping inflation.…

Members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) have commenced an indefinite nationwide strike within campuses of public universities to demand the immediate release of their four months’ withheld salaries. In a statement on Sunday co-signed by SSANU President Mohammed Ibrahim and NASU General Secretary Peters Adeyemi, the two unions said it is appalling that despite several ultimatums issued to the government, no positive result has come from the government. The two unions directed their members in all public universities and inter-university centres throughout the country to…

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) says it has signed an agreement with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to increase local financing to enable private businesses to grow and thrive. IFC is a member of the World Bank Group. In a statement on Monday, IFC said the goal of the partnership is to provide more than $1 billion in financing in coming years. The corporation added that through the collaboration, it can manage currency risks and increase its investment in the naira, across priority sectors of the economy. According to the statement, the sectors include agriculture, housing, infrastructure, energy, small…

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says it is working tirelessly to restore bulk power supply in the Northern part of the country as quickly as possible despite prevailing security challenges. On October 22, TCN reported a power outage in the north-east, north-west and parts of north-central after the 330 kV Ugwaji–Apir double circuit transmission lines 1 and 2 tripped around 4:53am “due to a fault”. Two days later, the transmission company said its linesmen had identified the fault responsible for the power outage. Some media reports had said the power outage would persist due to security challenges hindering repairs on critical transmission lines. Addressing the reports, TCN,…

The President and Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s energy transition drive from petroleum products to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). At a recent event, the billionaire businessman said the company’s investments in CNG are also in line with Nigeria’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which aims for net-zero emissions by 2060. “In this pursuit of transition to clean energy, we are optimistic of a remarkable accomplishment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he has taken the lead in the nation’s drive towards energy efficiency. This presupposes private sector intervention…

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has awarded Nigeria a win and the full three points in the 2025 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier with Libya that was postponed this month. The African football governing body announced the verdict in a statement on Saturday. The Super Eagles and Libya were originally scheduled to clash at the Martyrs of February Stadium in Benina, Benghazi on October 15, in matchday four of the AFCON qualification series. The Nigerian national team’s flight landed at the Al Abaq airport but the players and coaches were held for over 20 hours without food and…

Iranian Military said Israel attacked its military facilities across the country Saturday morning, causing “limited damage” in some areas. Israel “attacked parts of military centres in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam,” state news agency IRNA reported, adding that “the attack has been successfully intercepted and countered” by Iran’s “integrated air defence system. Iranian officials earlier said air defences were deployed “in several areas around Tehran and the country,” according to IRNA. According to a statement early on Saturday by the IDF, after reports emerged of explosions heard in Tehran, “the strikes are a response to Iran, which has…

Israel launched “precise” retaliatory air strikes on Iran early Saturday. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strikes were a reprisal for the barrage of missiles Iran launched on Israeli territory in the first week of October. “I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel,” Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the IDF, announced. “We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel.” Israel added that “its retaliation is now complete” and that “it has fulfilled its mission”. “If the regime in Iran were to…

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he plans to lower the number of low-wage, temporary foreign workers and permanent residents being let into Canada. Mr Trudeau made the announcement on Monday, on the second day of a cabinet retreat where his team is hammering out their autumn agenda. It comes as Canada grapples with a rapidly growing population that economists say has put strain on housing and public services like healthcare. The vast majority of Canada’s population growth last year – about 97% – was driven by immigration, according to the federal statistics Mr Trudeau and his government have been…