Author: Vardiafrica

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, has said that the recent withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali from the Economic Community of West African States has significantly increased the security burden on Nigeria’s military. Speaking at the first-quarter meeting with branch chiefs, air officers commanding, and commanders on Wednesday in Abuja, Abubakar noted that the withdrawal had disrupted regional security frameworks, particularly affecting the Multinational Joint Task Force. “The recent withdrawal of the Alliance of Sahel States from ECOWAS has disrupted existing security frameworks. This development has direct implications for the MNJTF, which has played…

The detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has submitted a petition to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, requesting that she direct the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to reassign his case to another judge with proper jurisdiction. In a letter addressed to the CJN, Kanu’s legal team, led by Aloy Ejimakor, argued that Justice Binta Nyako, the current judge presiding over the case, had recused herself following Kanu’s allegations of bias. Kanu is facing seven terrorism-related charges brought by the Federal Government. Ejimakor emphasized that…

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Adewale Adeniyi, says the proposed Nigeria Revenue Service Bill in the National Assembly threatens the existence of his agency. He made his position known during the public hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance on Wednesday. The customs boss in his submission raised some jurisdictional conflicting issues on the proposed Nigeria Revenue Service Bill. One of the recommendations in President Bola Tinubu’s controversial tax bills is the yet-to-be created Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS). He said, “The Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill 2024 Section 1 provides a legal framework…

Officials of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) have said the country will soon fly the nation’s aircraft, as engineering work on the first made-in-Nigeria helicopter is nearing completion.  The agency added that the helicopter would be a wholly made-in-Nigeria chopper.  The Project Manager of NASENI’s Aeronautics and Air Vehicle Development Institute, Kaduna, Kareem Aduagba, disclosed this during a Focus Group Engagement in Kaduna, organised by NASENI in Kaduna, yesterday.  The Focus Group Engagement, which had in attendance inventors and manufacturers drawn from the academia and private sectors in Kaduna, was organised by NASENI to promote local manufacturing, innovation and…

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, has called on all Nigerians to join hands with the Nigeria Police Force in the fight against crime and other vices in the society. Speaking at the fifth edition of the Strategic Security Conference and Retreat for Senior Police Officers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, with the theme “Improving Nigeria’s Internal Security and Economic Prosperity through Inclusive Policing,” Ogbuku thanked the officers of the Nigeria Police Force for the sacrifices they were making in securing the country. The NDDC Boss noted that inclusive policing involves all citizens. He…

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday convened the inaugural National Caucus meeting of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. This marks the first meeting of its kind since Tinubu took office in May 2023. The caucus meeting was held in preparation for the upcoming National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for Wednesday. The gathering included a host of top APC officials, such as APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, APC governors, and members of the National Working Committee. The meeting also saw the…

US President Donald Trump unveiled plans Tuesday to sell new “gold card” residency permits for a price of $5 million each — and said Russian oligarchs may be eligible. Trump said sales of the new visa, a high-price version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit. “We’re going to be selling a gold card. You have a green card, this is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. The Republican…

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a lawsuit against Senate President Godswill Akpabio for allegedly defaming her The suit was filed before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on Tuesday with Akpabio and his senior legislative aide Mfon Patrick listed as second to third defendants. In the suit, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan through her lawyer, Victor Giwa, referred to Akpabio’s words published by his aide on his Facebook page with the title, “Is local content committee of the senate Natasha’s birthright?” where he stated that the claimant thought being a lawmaker is all about pancaking her face and wearing transparent outfits to the…

Southeast Asia’s largest bank DBS said that 4,000 jobs could be cut in the next three years and be replaced by artificial intelligence as the technology becomes more advanced. “Over the next three years, we envisage that AI could reduce the need to renew about 4,000 temporary/contract staff across our 19 markets working on specific projects,” a spokesperson from the Singapore bank told AFP on Tuesday, confirming earlier reports. “As such, we expect the reduction in workforce will come from natural attrition as these temporary and contract roles are completed over the next few years.” A Bloomberg Intelligence report last…

The Senate has unanimously voted to refer Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review, following her recent seating arrangement dispute. The Kogi Senator had engaged in a shouting match on February 20 after discovering that her seat had been changed without her consent. The committee, chaired by Senator Neda Imaseun, has been given two weeks to report back on its findings. The decision was reached following a voice vote after lawmakers revisited the controversy surrounding the recent altercation between Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership over seat allocation, with lawmakers underpinning the need…