Author: Vardiafrica

Afragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was holding Monday, following the dramatic exchange of three hostages for 90 Palestinian prisoners in an agreement aimed at ending more than 15 months of war in Gaza. The three hostages released Sunday, all women, were reunited with their families and taken to hospital in central Israel where a doctor said they were in stable condition. Hours later in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian prisoners released by Israel left Ofer prison on buses, with jubilant crowds celebrating their arrival. As the ceasefire took effect, thousands of displaced, war-weary Palestinians set off across the devastated…

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has ordered the removal of speed bumps on the country’s highways to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion on major roads. Umahi made this known at a two-day Retreat for Federal Ministry of Works Highway Engineers and Managerial Staff on Friday in Abuja. The retreat with the theme “Ensuring Delivery of Mr President‘s Agenda on Road Infrastructural Development,” was organised by the ministry. The minister said the order to dismantle the speed bumps was necessary because some were haphazardly done causing accidents and elongating travel time. “I came through one of the federal routes and…

US President-elect, Donald Trump on Friday night, January 17, announced his inauguration will be held inside the Capitol rotunda due to the extreme cold temperatures forecast for Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20. The area has had consistent freezing conditions throughout the month of January and there is still snow on the ground from the storm on Jan. 6, which dumped about a foot in Washington and Maryland. “I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First Responders, Police…

Construction work has resumed at the Kaa-Ataba Road and bridges being undertaken by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to link the Khana Local Government Area to the Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. Speaking at the bridge site, the Project Supervisor, Engr. Lawrence Ekanem described the multi-billion-naira project as ambitious and impactful. He said the road and bridges would enhance socio-economic activities in Kaa, Ataba and surrounding communities. He assured his company would do all it took to ensure the project’s early completion. He declared, “We are committed to delivering on speed and quality.” The project’s Community Liaison…

Brazil has formally announced Nigeria’s admission as a partner country in the BRICS alliance. The Brazilian foreign ministry communicated the development in a statement on Friday. “The Brazilian government welcomes the Nigerian government’s decision,” the statement said. Originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the alliance began to expand after more countries began seeking to join the group of leading emerging economies. The alliance’s partner-country category was created at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan in October 2024. During the summit, reports indicated that Nigeria had joined as a partner country. Eche Abu-Obe, then-spokepserson of the ministry of…

A Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos has restrained the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) from arresting vehicles with faded number plates. Justice Akintayo Aluko made the order on Friday and also restricted the FRSC from imposing any fine or punishment on any drivers for driving with a faded vehicle plate number. The court made the orders while delivering judgment in a suit filed by a legal practitioner, Chinwike Chamberlain Ezebube against the FRSC. Ezebube in his Originating Summons filed on February 13, 2024, had asked the court to determine among other things: “Whether the Defendant, pursuant to Section 5…

Israel’s government has approved the new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas, paving the way for it to take effect on Sunday. The decision came after hours of discussions that continued late into the night. Two far-right ministers voted against the deal. The security cabinet earlier recommended ratifying the agreement, saying it “supports the achievement of the objectives of the war”, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. The terms of the agreement will officially come into force at 08:30 local time (06:30 GMT) on Sunday, Qatari mediators announced Under the deal, 33 Israeli hostages still held by…

A total sum of ₦1.424 trillion, being December 2024 Federation Accounts Revenue, has been shared among the Federal Government, States and Local Government Councils. The revenue was shared at the January 2025 Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting held in Abuja. The Director of Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Bawa Mokwa, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. The ₦1.424 trillion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of ₦386.124 billion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of ₦604.872 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of ₦31.211 billion and Exchange Difference revenue of ₦402.714 billion. A communiqué…

President Bola Tinubu has commended the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) for their unanimous support of four Tax Reform Bills currently under consideration by the National Assembly. In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga on Thursday, Tinubu lauded the governors for demonstrating bold leadership and fostering national unity by setting aside regional, ethnic, and political differences to prioritize Nigeria’s development. He praised the outcome of the recent consultation between the NGF and the Presidential Committee on Tax and Fiscal Policy as a model of effective cooperation between the Federal and State governments. The President highlighted that the Tax Reform Bills are…

Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Friday announced an upward adjustment in the prices of its Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) commonly known as petrol, to its bulk purchase customers, citing escalating global crude oil price which is now above $80 per barrel. But the bulk price increase by the 650,000 barrels per day Lagos-based refinery will be responded to by a consequential hike in the pump price of petrol in the major cities currently selling between N925 and a little above N1,000 per litre. In a statement obtained by THISDAY, the refinery announced that its refined petrol would now be priced at…