Author: Vardiafrica

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied reports that Mahmood Yakubu, its chairman, is dead. A report on Saturday alleged that Yakubu had died in London following a “brief illness”. “Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has died in London after a brief illness,” the report reads. “Sources reveal that he went to bed in good health but woke up with a serious medical emergency. “Despite his family’s efforts to secure the best care by transferring him to London for treatment, he was pronounced dead.” But speaking with TheCable, Rotimi Oyekanmi, chief press secretary to…

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has urged President Bola Tinubu to remove what he called excess baggage within his cabinet. Mohammed gave this advice during the commissioning of the 14.1km Umuakali-Eberi Road in Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State. He said while governors have confidence in the President’s leadership, the actions of certain cabinet members are undermining his efforts. According to him, the President must throw away the excess baggage, stressing the need for decisive action. Mohammed, who is the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum noted that the focus across various states should be on governance rather…

Lt. Changfe Maigari has made history as the first female pilot in the Nigerian Navy (NN) since its establishment in 1964. Maigari, a native of Langtang North Local Government Area of Plateau State, was born in Kaduna. She is married and has a daughter. Her journey began in 2016 when she graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and was commissioned as a Sub Lieutenant. She later served aboard the Nigerian Navy Ship Unity. The milestone was celebrated on Friday at the 2024 NN Ceremonial Sunset held at the Naval Training Command Headquarters (HQ NAVTRAC) in Ebube-Eleme, Rivers State, where…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has imposed a fine of ₦150 million on Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) found guilty of facilitating the illegal distribution of newly minted naira notes to currency hawkers across the country. This move follows recent clarifications from the apex bank regarding the validity of the old N1000, N500, and N200 banknotes, which remain legal tender in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling issued on November 29, 2023. The CBN emphasized that these denominations are still valid and warned against hoarding. In a statement signed by Sidi Ali Hakama, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, the CBN addressed…

South Korea’s impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol on Saturday said he would “step aside” after parliament voted to remove him from office, urging an end to “politics of excess and confrontation”. “Though I must now step aside for a while, the journey toward the future… must never come to a stop,” he said in a televised address This was after South Korean lawmakers on Saturday impeached Yoon over his failed martial law bid, with the opposition declaring a “victory of the people”. The vote took place as hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Seoul in rival rallies for…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Monday, vacated the judgement that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from releasing monthly statutory allocations to Rivers State.A three-member panel of Justices of the appellate court, in a split decision of two-to-one, held that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the suit legal that led to the restraining order.It held that the fact that federal agencies were joined as parties in the matter was not sufficient to confer the court with unfettered jurisdiction to hear the case.According to the Justice Hamma Barka-led panel, since…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed Abuja on Friday for Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to represent President Bola Tinubu at the commissioning and naming of a $315 million oil production and storage facility. The facility, a fully Nigerian-owned oil and gas company acquired by Oriental Energy Limited, is scheduled for commissioning on December 14, 2024. After the event in Dubai, the Vice President will proceed to Saudi Arabia where he will perform the Lesser Hajj (Umrah) in the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah from December 16 to 19, 2024. On December 20, 2024, Vice President Shettima is also…

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has cautioned against the violation of the Supreme Court verdict on local government autonomy, vowing to deal with the erring council officials.  Fagbemi gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at a conference for judiciary correspondents. The AGF said governance at the grassroots has “suffered a lot” in the past but believes that with the enforcement of the verdict on local government autonomy, “life will come back to the local governments”. “People at the grassroots have suffered long negligence and it is enough. The government…

The Vice President, Kashim Shettima has inaugurated the National Economic Council (NEC) Ad Hoc Committee on National Electrification and NEC Ad Hoc Committee on Polio Eradication. Inaugurated at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, he said there is no way Nigeria can dream of meaningful national economic development, without addressing the power sector crisis and ensuring Nigerians have access to electricity and other affordable energy. He urged leaders in the country to rise above differences to confront the power sector crisis and become part of the reincarnation of Nigeria as an industrialised nation. Shettima referred to countries with similar challenges…

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has donated $1m (£786,000) to an inauguration fund for President-elect Donald Trump. The tech giant’s boss, Mark Zuckerberg, dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in November, having sought to repair his and his firm’s relationship with Trump following the election. Trump has previously been highly critical of Mr Zuckerberg and Facebook – calling the platform “anti-Trump” in 2017. Meta is not believed to have made similar donations to President Joe Biden’s inaugural fund in 2020 or to Trump’s previous inaugural fund in 2016. The company confirmed its million-dollar donation to the inaugural fund…