Author: Vardiafrica

The federal high court in Abuja has dismissed a suit seeking the sack of 27 members of the Rivers state house of assembly loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT). The suit, instituted by the Action People’s Party (APP), sought to replace the lawmakers on account of their alleged defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Delivering judgment on Friday, Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, held that the suit was statute-barred because it was not filed within 14 days allowed by law. Although the lawmakers reportedly defected in December 2023,…

In its continued bid to maximise the nation’s abundant gas resources for economic development and prosperity, NNPC Ltd has begun discussions with investors towards bringing back two Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects, Brass and Olokola LNG projects.  NNPC Ltd’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mr. Umar Ajiya disclosed this on the sidelines of the ongoing 2024 Gas Technology Conference and Exhibition (Gastech), in Houston, United States, on Thursday. Brass LNG and OK LNG are two LNG projects with the potential of manifold economic benefits for the country which include job creation, power generation, revenue generation and economic diversification. The multi-billion dollar projects…

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, said Thursday it would meet with the federal government on how workers could survive the recent hike in the pump price of petrol. According to the labour movement, the current price of petrol has eroded the gains of the yet-to-be implemented N70,000 new national minimum wage. President of NLC, Joe Ajaero, who disclosed this at the opening ceremony of a two day workshop on “Minimum Wage Implementation Workshop, Southern Zone, with the theme ‘Strategies for Effective Implementation of the 2024 National Minimum Wage Act, in Lagos,” insisted that organised labour was deceived by President Bola Tinubu into…

Ukraine has restricted the use of Telegram for its government, military, and security officials, citing “threats” to national security on the app founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov. “The National Security and Defence Council decided to restrict the use of Telegram in government agencies, military formations, and critical infrastructure facilities,” the council said in a statement on Facebook, saying it was a “matter of national security.” During a recent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, Budanov provided “substantiated evidence” that Russian intelligence services have access to Telegram users’ personal correspondence, even deleted messages, and their personal data “I have…

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has issued a firm directive to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), mandating them to resolve airline ticket refund issues within 24 hours. This comes in response to funds currently held by several airlines, especially those that have recently ceased flight operations. Speaking at the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos during the unveiling of the NCAA’s Consumer Protection Portal, Keyamo expressed discontent with the difficulties passengers have faced in reclaiming funds from airlines that halted services. The minister emphasised that such behaviour from airlines would no longer be tolerated. Keyamo instructed…

Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, says Nigeria is “technically bankrupt” and that the federal government can no longer put a band-aid on the economy. Speaking in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, Obaseki said the country still behaves like it has money. The Edo governor said Nigeria must “restructure” to meet its financial obligations. “Nigeria is technically bankrupt. When you’re bankrupt anywhere in the world like in the states (USA), you file for what we call chapter 11. You restructure your affairs so that you can reorganise and be able to meet obligations,” he said. “Nigeria is not restructuring…

Rwanda has become the first country in Africa to administer vaccines against the Mpox virus.  The African Union’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced on Thursday, September 19, that several hundred high-risk individuals in Rwanda received the mpox vaccine earlier this week. The initial batch of 300 doses was administered on Tuesday, September 17, near Rwanda’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has been the hardest-hit by the virus, reporting nearly 22,000 cases and over 700 deaths between January and August. Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya confirmed that the DRC is set to…

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced plans to deploy the 6G spectrum in Nigeria to enhance access to Wi-Fi technology. Speaking on Thursday at a consultative forum on emerging technologies in Lagos, Aminu Maida, executive vice-chairman of the NCC, highlighted the need for efficient management and utilisation of spectrum resources. The event, tagged ‘The Use of 6GHz (5925-7125) MHz for WiFi and IMT Applications in Nigeria’, sought input from stakeholders on how the new frequency band can be optimally used. Maida, represented by Abraham Oshadami, executive commissioner of technical services at the NCC, explained that existing spectrums, including 5G and…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it has not reintroduced the cybersecurity levy that was previously suspended. On May 6, the apex bank directed all commercial, merchant, non-interest and payment service banks, mobile money operators, and payment service providers to charge a 0.5 percent cybersecurity levy on electronic transfers. The CBN later withdrew the directive on May 20, essentially suspending the proposed cybersecurity levy on electronic transfers. However, reports had claimed that the apex bank reinstated the levy, quoting the CBN’s “Monetary, Credit, Foreign Trade, and Exchange Policy Guidelines for the Fiscal Years 2024-2025”. In a statement on Friday,…

The Presidential Committee on Livestock Sector Reforms Implementation has submitted its inception report to President Bola Tinubu. The committee submitted its report to the President at the State House Abuja on Thursday Speaking to journalists shortly after meeting with the President, the Chairman of the Committee and former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, said the committee was able to identify measures on how the Nigerian government can judiciously utilize the livestock industry in Nigeria. He revealed that the 152 page document submitted to President Tinubu recommends measures that the government can use to mitigate…