Author: Vardiafrica

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has commissioned solar-powered street lights in Bodo, Biera and Bera communities in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State as part of its ongoing Light Up the Niger Delta project. Inaugurating the project, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, said that the street lights would enhance the economic value of the communities, reduce criminal activities in the area and promote a productive nightlife. Ogbuku, who was accompanied by the NDDC Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye and the South-South Vice Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Mr. Victor Giadom, assured that more…

President-elect Donald Trump will be sentenced on Jan. 10 in the criminal case in which he was convicted on charges involving hush money paid to a porn star, but is unlikely to face jail time or other penalties, a judge said on Friday. Justice Juan Merchan’s ruling means Trump will be required to appear at a court hearing just 10 days before his Jan. 20 inauguration – an unprecedented scenario in U.S. history. Before Trump, no U.S. president – former or sitting – had been charged with or convicted of a crime. The judge said Trump, 78, may appear at his sentencing either…

Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to the mass street and road lighting across the Niger Delta. The initiative, known as ‘Light Up the Niger Delta,’ is being implemented in the nine Niger Delta states, comprising Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers. Ogbuku disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by the NDDC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, in Port Harcourt. Ogbuku explained that the project aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the Niger Delta. The initiative, he said,…

Liverpool superstar, Mohamed Salah has confirmed that this will be his last season at the club. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, he was asked if he felt this was his final season with the Reds, and Salah responded: “So far? Yes. It’s the last six months.” “There is no progress there, we’re far away from any progress, so we just need to wait and see.” Salah said he aims to win another Premier League title for the English club. “I want to win the Premier League with Liverpool. It’s my last year in the club, so you want…

South Korea’s political leadership was in uncharted territory Saturday after the sitting president resisted arrest over a failed martial law decree days before the warrant expires. In scenes of high drama on Friday, Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidential guards and military troops shielded the former star prosecutor from investigators, who called off their arrest attempt citing safety concerns. The South Korean president was impeached and suspended last month after the bungled martial law declaration — a political move swiftly overturned by parliament — with a separate warrant later issued for his arrest. “There was a standoff. While we estimated the personnel…

CBN Confirms Exit Of 1000 Staff In December, Denies Forced Resignation.The apex bank in Nigeria, the Central Bank has confirmed the exit of 1000 staff in December, 2024. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso who confirmed on Friday saying that the 1000 staff members who left the institution in December 2024 did so voluntarily and were not forced to resign. Cardoso made the clarification on Friday during an investigative hearing by the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee, which is probing the reasons behind the staff exits and the N50 billion severance package offered to those…

The Nigeria Police Force has vowed that it will no longer tolerate any assault on his officers and men let alone killing any officer, no matter the situation. The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who gave the warning in Enugu State on Friday, during his official visit to the Enugu State Command, unequivocally stated that there must be appropriate response from the Force. “We will not tolerate any assault on our police officers not to talk of killing. An assault on a policeman is criminal, is an assault on the IGP and we are not going to kindly any act…

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is throwing his weight behind growing calls in the United Kingdom for a new investigation into the scandal of child abuse by grooming gangs, going so far as to back calls for King Charles III to intervene. “National inquiry now!” Musk stated on X on Friday, declaring the scandal “the worst mass crime against the people of Britain ever.” The U.K. has for years been dealing with the revelation that a number of grooming gangs, often consisting of men of South Asian or British Pakistani heritage, exploited children for decades across the north of England in cities and towns…

THOUSANDS of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) residents will witness a two-week blackout from Monday, January 6, as the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) announced an imminent disruption in power supply. The disruption is due to the relocation of the 33KV DC Airport Feeder and 132KV Kukwaba-Apo Transmission Line Towers along the Outer Southern Expressway by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) The AEDC disclosed this in a statement on its official X handle on Friday, January 3. According to the company, the operation would occur from January 6 to 21. The statement listed areas to be affected by the outage…

Ghana’s outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo Friday announced visa-free travel for all African passport holders from the start of this year, marking a step towards continental economic integration. The announcement came during his final state of the nation address as he prepares to step down on January 6 after two terms in office. “I am proud to have approved visa-free travel to Ghana for all African passport holders, with effect from the beginning of this year,” Akufo-Addo said in his speech to parliament. “This is the logical next step to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the workings of…