Author: Vardiafrica

The refusal of some senior Customs officials to retire after reaching their due dates has prompted the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions to summon the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, to appear before it on Tuesday next week. According to a statement by Chooks Oko, Media Head of the Public Petitions Committee, Adeniyi is expected to answer a petition regarding the matter. The petition, filed by Obasi-Pherson Help Foundation, alleged that certain Assistant Comptrollers and Comptrollers had refused to vacate their positions despite being due for retirement. The affected officers were identified as Assistant…

Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has broken new ground as she joins San Diego F.C. as a part owner. This move makes her the first African female musician to have a stake in a Major League Soccer (MLS) club in the United States. The announcement was made on Wednesday by the club’s chairman, Sir Mohamed Mansour, in an official statement.“We are delighted that Tems has joined San Diego FC as a Club Partner,” Mansour said. “Tems is a globally significant artist who will help us to reach new audiences and spread the word about our unique project,…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged workers and the public to boycott the services of MTN, Airtel, and Glo in response to a recent 50% increase in tariffs. The decision followed a meeting of the NLC’s Central Working Committee (CWC) in Kogi State. In a statement on Wednesday, NLC President Joe Ajaero condemned the tariff hike as “arbitrary” and demanded an immediate reversal. He announced that the boycott would begin on Thursday and take place daily from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm until the end of February 2025. According to the union, the action will continue until the tariffs…

The four tax reform bills transmitted to the National Assembly in 2024 by President Bola Tinubu have scaled second reading in the House of Representatives. The bills scaled second reading on the floor of the Green Chamber on Wednesday some six months after the President transmitted them to the National Assembly for consideration following the recommendations of the Taiwo Oyedele-led Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. The bills include the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill. The bill, having scaled second reading, would now be…

In a groundbreaking move to unlock Nigeria’s industrial potential, the Federal Government has officially launched the Nigeria Raw Materials Information Management System (NRMIMS). The platform, unveiled by the Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Chief Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, is set to revolutionize the country’s industrial landscape by enhancing transparency, driving economic transformation, and fostering sustainable development. Speaking at the launch event in Abuja, held at the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Nnaji underscored Nigeria’s vast natural resource wealth but highlighted the barriers posed by data gaps and inadequate integration, which have long hindered the optimal utilization of these…

Keystone Bank Limited on Tuesday announced that it is now fully owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria, following the court’s dissolution of its former shareholder, Sigma Golf Nigeria Limited. This was disclosed in the bank’s statement after the judgement by the Lagos State Special Offences Court, sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, against Sigma, in a matter instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Nairametrics earlier reported that the court convicted and ordered the winding up (dissolution) of Sigma Golf Nigeria Limited in an alleged N20 billion fraudulent diversion case. Justice Rahman Oshodi delivered the judgment…

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has charged sub-Saharan African nations to keep pace with unfolding trends in the global oil and gas industry and adopt a unified approach in strengthening local content development, advancing industrialisation and fostering sustainable continent-wide economic growth. In a Keynote Address at the 9th Sub-Saharan African International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (SAIPEC), in Lagos, on Tuesday, Engr. Ogbe said nations like Nigeria, Angola, and Ghana have made notable strides in local content development by boosting indigenous participation in the oil and gas sector, but expressed…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has expressed confidence that nothing will stand in the way of his victory in 2027 should he decide to seek a second term. Governor Fubara made this assertion on Tuesday during a solidarity visit by the three Local Government Areas that make up the Kalabari Ethnic Nationality. The delegation had endorsed him for re-election, citing his leadership qualities and commitment to infrastructural development, including the ongoing ₦200 billion Trans-Kalabari road project. The governor, however, emphasised that his administration is more focused on delivering meaningful impact in the state rather than the duration of its time…

The House of Representatives has urged the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to suspend the proposed increase in telecommunications tariffs until service delivery improves. The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance presented by Rep. Obuku Offorji during plenary on Tuesday Offorji recalled that the minister had announced, after a stakeholders’ meeting on January 8, that telecom operators were pushing for a tariff increase, with some proposing hikes as high as 100 percent. While the minister clarified that the increase would not reach 100 percent, he stated that the…

The Government of Botswana has introduced new social welfare initiatives designed to improve the well-being of its citizens, with implementation set to begin in 2025. Key measures include a monthly allowance for newborn babies, free sanitary pads for female students, and an increase in the Old Age Pension, also known as the Tandabala Allowance. Botswana’s Vice President and Minister of Finance, Mr. Ndaba N. Gaolathe, announced during the 2025/2026 budget presentation on February 10 that newborn babies would receive a monthly allowance of P300 until they turn one year old. “We are also proposing a targeted monthly allowance of P300.00…