Author: Vardiafrica

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has warned that any form of violence during the upcoming Anambra State governorship election will attract a firm and decisive response from security agencies. Ribadu issued the warning on Tuesday, October 28, in Abuja during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) with officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He was represented by Hassan Yahaya Abdullahi, Director of Internal Security at the Office of the NSA. He assured that the Federal Government has put in place comprehensive security measures to ensure a peaceful, free, and credible election…

Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says President Bola Tinubu’s policies have set Nigeria “firmly on the right path,” citing the drop in the price of rice from N120,000 to about N80,000 Mr Edun said in an article titled “Nigeria turning towards prosperity”, that the country has turned towards prosperity and “the most difficult phase of our economic journey is behind.” The coordinating minister of the economy said, “Food inflation has been our heaviest burden since it surged after currency depreciation and the removal of fuel subsidies. However, targeted measures are beginning to ease…

President Bola Tinubu has sent a letter to the Senate requesting the confirmation of the newly appointed service chiefs. The letter was addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during Tuesday’s plenary session in Abuja. It includes the confirmation of Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Oluyede; Chief of Army Staff Major-General Waheedi Shaibu; Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Idi Abbas; Chief of Air Staff Air Vice Marshal Kennedy Aneke; and Chief of Defence Intelligence Major-General Emmanuel Undiendeye. In the letter, President Tinubu appealed to the Senate to expedite action on the confirmation of the appointments. The request…

Billionaire Elon Musk has launched a new AI-generated site to compete with online encyclopedia Wikipedia, which he has accused of being “extremely left-biased”. The site, named Grokipedia, had more than 885,000 articles by Monday evening, compared to Wikipedia’s more than seven million in English. The launch came with the promise of a newer version, 1.0, which Mr Musk said would be “10X better” than the current live site. “The goal of Grok and Grokipedia.com is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We will never be perfect, but we shall nonetheless strive towards that goal,” he said…

Nearly nine million voters were eligible to cast their ballot Saturday in the world’s top cocoa producer, which has resisted coups and jihadist attacks plaguing much of west Africa but which saw tensions soar and deadly violence in the run-up to the election. Even before the provisional results’ announcement Ouattara was already anticipated to have swept the polls, after early tallies on Sunday showed him winning upwards of 90 percent of the vote. Turnout was close to 100 percent in his northern strongholds. The political veteran was also ahead in traditionally pro-opposition areas in the south and parts of the…

Human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, and Nnamdi Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor, have been released from Kuje Prison after four days in detention. He was detained last week following his appearance at the Kuje Magistrate Court.

President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with the newly appointed service chiefs at the State House. Last Friday, Tinubu sacked the former service chiefs in a major shake-up of the nation’s military leadership. The president named Olufemi Oluyede, a lieutenant general, as the new chief of defence staff, replacing Christopher Musa. Prior to the appointment, Oluyede was the chief of army staff. Waidi Shaibu, a major general, was named the new chief of army staff, while Sunday Kelvin Aneke, an air vice marshal, was appointed as air chief. Idi Abbas, a rear admiral, was named the mew naval chief, while Emmanuel Akomaye Parker Undiandeye,…

Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has said he is seriously being pressured by political figures to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC. Mutfwang made this disclosure during the weekend at an event held at the Banquet Hall of the Government House in Jos. The governor noted his decision to remain in the PDP, stressing that only God and the electorate who voted him into office can determine his political direction. “It is true that they have been putting pressure on me. “But I told them that only two people can authorise me to change…

Former Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has threatened to take legal action against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after he was allegedly denied the opportunity to purchase the nomination form to contest for the position of National Chairman. Lamido, who arrived at the PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Abuja, on Monday morning, was reportedly prevented from obtaining the form, a development he described as “unacceptable and undemocratic.” Speaking to journalists outside the party headquarters, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed disappointment over the incident and vowed to seek redress in court if he was not allowed to participate…

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has been re-elected for an eighth term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100, according to official results announced on Monday by the Central African country’s Constitutional Council. “Hereby proclaimed President-elect: the candidate Biya Paul,” said Clement Atangana, president of the Constitutional Council. Biya, 92, took office in 1982 and has held a tight grip on power ever since, doing away with the presidential term limit in 2008 and winning reelection by comfortable margins. This year his strongest challenge came from Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesperson and employment minister in…