Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, for doing a good job in driving the process of development in the Niger Delta region. Speaking at the State House in Abuja during the inauguration of the Planning Committee for the National Youth Congress, Tinubu urged young Nigerians to take ownership of the country’s development. The President said: “ Dr Ogbuku of NDDC is here. I commend your efforts. You are doing very well.” Recall that the President had on July 12, 2024, during the Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit in…

The Government of Nigeria is set to launch an online platform aimed at connecting skilled workers and artisans with potential clients, according to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa The announcement was made in a statement signed by Salisu Haiba, Director of Press and Public Relations, in Abuja on Wednesday. Dangiwa revealed the initiative during a courtesy visit from Adamson Ayinde, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industrial Training and Development, and his team. The platform, tentatively named “Uber for Artisans,” will serve as a digital marketplace, enabling trained and certified artisans to showcase their skills and connect…

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday met with members of the Lagos State House of Assembly members, including Speaker Mudashiru Obasa and Deputy Speaker Mojisola Meranda in the State House. The lawmakers arrived in two white buses with Deputy Speaker Meranda while the Speaker Obasa arrived separately some minutes later. This meeting, which is coming after a leadership crisis in the house, held behind closed doors. After the meeting, lawmakers were seen singing joyfully “On your mandate we shall stand”— and hailing the president as he walked off to his office. According to one of those who attended the meeting, “everything…

A drama ensued at the Rivers State House of Assembly Complex on Wednesday when Governor Siminalayi Fubara arrived at the quarters but the entrance gate locked. Our correspondents observed that the security personnel at the complex locked the gates when the governor’s convoy arrived at the complex The action of the security personnel was hinged on the position that there was no official communication between the governor and the Assembly However, Fubara said he communicated his coming to Speaker Martins Amaewhule through a letter and tried to call him on the phone since Tuesday. Also, the Rivers State Government shared…

South African Patrice Motsepe has been re-elected unopposed as the President of Confederation of African Football (CAF). This means he would serve a second four-year term as CAF boss. He secured a second term during CAF’s extraordinary general assembly held in Cairo on Wednesday, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in attendance. Motsepe was elected by acclamation in Morocco four years ago, succeeding Malagasy Ahmad Ahmad, who had been suspended by FIFA over financial misconduct. CAF secretary general Veron Mosengo-Omba is among those who have credited Motsepe with improving the finances and governance of the organisation. “Patrice was a gift for…

 The Supreme Court has dismissed two appeals by the Rivers State Attorney-General and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, who are seeking to set aside the leave granted to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to challenge an order prohibiting the investigation of Peter Odili’s tenure as governor of the state. In 2007, Odili got a court injunction preventing the EFCC from investigating or arresting him. The court order also restrained the commission from probing the finances of the Rivers State Government when Odili was the governor. However, the EFCC sought leave from the Court of Appeal to…

President Bola Tinubu has called for obedience to the Supreme Court verdict in Rivers State, asking stakeholders to follow the law to the letter. The Supreme Court recently nullified last year’s local government elections in the oil-rich state and also asked that Martin Amaewhule and the lawmakers he leads be recognised as members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Weeks after the verdict, Tinubu told leaders of the Niger Delta under the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday to go back and ensure that the ruling is adhered to. “This is a nation…

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi Central, has reported Senate President Godswill Akpabio to United Nations Inter-Parliamentary Union following her suspension from the Nigerian senate. Natasha who reported the case at the Women in Parliament session held at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Meeting (IPU) at the United Nations in New York, is seeking justice and the intervention of global democratic institutions. The lawmaker is asking for justice over what she described as injustice meted out to her. Senator Natasha described her suspension from the Senate as “illegal”. After her speech, she expressed worry about her security. The Kogi Central senator claimed…

The Trump administration is repurposing a mobile application – originally created to facilitate asylum appointments – into a way for undocumented migrants already in the US to “self-deport”. The app, known as CBP Home, allows migrants to submit an “intent to depart”, which US Customs and Border Patrol says offers them a chance to leave without “harsher consequences”. US officials have repeatedly suggested that undocumented migrants in the country should leave voluntarily, rather than be arrested and subject to deportation. This is the latest move in the White House’s effort to dramatically overhaul the US immigration system, which has included promises…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has activated its Standby Force to curb terrorism and other transborder crimes in the subregion. The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, who disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Forty-third ordinary meeting of ECOWAS Committee Chiefs of Defence Staff said the economic growth of the region is dependent on stable peace. The minister added that there is a need for members of ECOWAS to close ranks against all forms of threats against the region. On January 29, 2025, ECOWAS recognised the exit of three of its former members Burkina Faso, Mali,…