Author: Vardiafrica

Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Monday, January 26, for a state visit to the Republic of Türkiye. The visit aims to strengthen the existing cordial relations between the two countries and explore further areas of cooperation in security, education, social development, innovation, and aviation. A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that during President Tinubu’s visit, both countries will engage in strategic political and diplomatic discussions on shared values in finance, communication, trade, and investment. The agenda will include meetings between high-ranking officials of both nations, as…

Speaking during a strategic retreat organised by the consultant for the 2nd Niger Delta Games, Dunamis Icon Limited, in Benin City, Edo State, Ebie endorsed the idea of holding sessions to review and project plans for successful games. He stated: “The Board of the NDDC wants to make the games our legacy project, such that there will come a time in the future when we can have athletes from the Niger Delta Games representing Nigeria at international events such as the Olympics.” Addressing members of the Main Organising Committee and the Local Organising Committee, the NDDC Chairman commended the leadership…

The Anambra State Government has announced the introduction of pro-rata salary payments for public servants as part of renewed efforts to end the long-running Monday sit-at-home across the state. Under the new policy, which takes effect from February 2026, civil servants will be paid according to attendance, with salaries calculated on a pro-rata basis. The State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, disclosed this to journalists in Awka on Saturday, saying the decision was reached during the end-of-tenure retreat of the Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC). According to Mefor, the retreat reviewed the performance of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration over…

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has set the tone for the 2026 operational goals with a high-level strategic meeting with directors, commanders and heads of formations during which he charged them to sustain the current momentum in the war against illicit substances by going all out to dismantle drug cartels and intensify sensitization efforts across the country. Marwa gave the charge at the annual review and planning meeting that brought together, at the NDLEA National Headquarters in Abuja, the top echelon of the Agency, including: members of the…

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, says he misses former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s leadership.Makinde spoke on Saturday at the 60th birthday celebration of Samson Ajetomobi, president of The Men of Issachar Vision Incorporated (MIV) and overseer of the Redemption Faith Churches, in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, where Osinbajo was also in attendance. “Sir, I personally miss you in that position (as vice president),” Makinde told Osinbajo. “A lot of people may not know why things are not really the same. It’s not a political talk because I’m not on that podium.”Makinde recalled how Osinbajo’s decision prevented him from locking Oyo state…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Power Mr Adebayo Adelabu and Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc., (NBET), Abuja “over the failure to account for the missing or diverted N128 billion of public funds from the Ministry of Power and NBET.” The grave allegations are documented in the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on 9 September 2025. Corruption contributes significantly to the frequent grid collapses, as Nigerians last week witnessed the first grid collapse of 2026, plunging the country into darkness. In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/143/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has recorded a major breakthrough in its nationwide anti-narcotics operations with the arrest of a Brazilian national carrying heroin worth over ₦3 billion at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The suspect, Ms. Ingrid Rosa Benevides, a 30-year-old private security officer from Brazil, was apprehended shortly after arriving in Nigeria aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1431. NDLEA operatives, acting on credible intelligence, conducted a detailed search of her checked-in luggage. During the search, officers discovered 21 factory-sealed packets of Brazilian coffee concealed in two suitcases. Further examination revealed that the coffee packs contained 30.09…

The Federal Government has intensified its crackdown on extortion in the power sector, imposing a nationwide ban on electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and installers from charging consumers for the installation of new meters. Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu issued the stern warning on Thursday, January 22, 2026, during an on-site inspection of 500,000 newly arrived smart meters at APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos. The meters are the latest consignment under the World Bank-funded Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP),a multi-billion naira initiative designed to eliminate Nigeria’s estimated seven-million-unit metering gap. Adelabu emphasized that because these meters are fully funded through international…

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has formally resigned his membership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), citing deepening internal crises and the need to safeguard the broader interest of the people of Kano State. This was contained in a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa on Friday. The Governor, in a letter addressed to the Chairman of Diso-Chiranchi Ward, NNPP, Gwale Local Government Area, officially communicated his decision to withdraw from the party with effect from Friday 23rd January 2026. “I write with a deep sense of gratitude to formally notify the leadership…

Russia will participate in trilateral peace talks with the United States and Ukraine for the first time, with the meeting scheduled in Abu Dhabi, the Kremlin confirmed. The talks follow separate discussions between US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin officials described prior meetings as “substantive, constructive, and frank,” but cautioned that a breakthrough was not guaranteed. Ukraine will be represented by lead negotiator Rustem Umerov and chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, while Admiral Igor Kostyukov will head the Russian delegation. The negotiations center on territorial disputes in eastern Ukraine, with Moscow insisting…