Author: Vardiafrica

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says there is no evidence of widespread COVID-19 transmission in Cross River state. The Cross River government had earlier announced that it had recorded a new case of COVID-19 in the state. Henry Ayuk, the state commissioner for health, said the index case involves a 53-year-old Chinese national working with Lafarge in Akamkpa LGA, who arrived in Nigeria on March 17 and later developed symptoms. Reacting to the development in a statement on Tuesday, Jide Idris, director-general of the NCDC, said the agency is aware of recent media reports regarding a confirmed case…

The Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, is set to resign from his position in the coming days after a high-level meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The development was confirmed in a statement issued by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Mr Tunji Bolaji, after the closed-door meeting on Tuesday. “President Tinubu commended the minister for his dedication and the progress recorded, particularly in laying a strong policy foundation for the transformation of the power sector,” the statement read, adding that the President granted Mr Adelabu his “consent and blessing” to…

Nigeria has recorded a fresh case of COVID-19. The newest case was confirmed in Cross River State.  The Cross River State Ministry of Health has begun profiling and tracing individuals in the state who have been in contact with a Chinese national admitted after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus. The commissioner for health in the coastal state, Henry Ayuk, disclosed this in Calabar while briefing newsmen on a resurgence of the deadly SARS variant, Covid-19, in Cross River State. Ayuk said Cross River is recording its first significant case since 2022 and promised to curb the spread of the…

A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, has dismissed the appeal filed by Julius Abure challenging the leadership of the Labour Party. Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had, on January 21, reaffirmed the earlier judgment of the Supreme Court that removed Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Senator Nenadi Usman as the legitimate leader of the party, to the exclusion of all others. Dissatisfied with that decision, Abure approached the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the judgment of the lower court.…

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), with its joint venture (JV) partners and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Friday commissioned a world-class geoscience center at the University of Lagos. The facility was approved by NCDMB and executed by SNEPCo and its JV partners as part of the Nigerian Content Human Capacity Development (HCD) programme which had focused lately on institutional strengthening, equipping universities and revamping select technical and vocational schools across the country, in a bid to develop competent technical manpower and craftsmen needed in the oil and gas industry and the linkage sectors.…

The US-born pontiff arrived in the Spanish-speaking nation for the fourth and final stage of his marathon 11-day tour of the continent. In Malabo, the former capital on Bioko island in the Gulf of Guinea, he was welcomed by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979 and at 83 is the world’s longest-serving head of state who is not a monarch. At the presidential palace, the pope used a less sharp tone than on his previous three stops, calling on authorities in the country to “evaluate its own paths of development and the positive opportunities of…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday at its Conference Centre (Rose 1101) hosted the first quarter 2026 edition of its Book Reading Series, with a one-time Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime and Safety Administration (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, as Guest Author.    The event, which focused on the 2025, 204-page publication of the author, Leading in a Storm: Practical Leadership Strategies in Crisis Situations, had a capacity audience drawn from higher institutions, the mass media, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), with several others participating virtually. In a welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division (CCD), Dr.…

President Bola Tinubu has approved a minor reshuffle of the Federal Executive Council, removing the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, from their cabinet positions. A statement issued on Tuesday by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yomi Odunuga, said the development was contained in a memo signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. The memo announced Taiwo Oyedele as the new Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the…

The Kaduna State High Court has fixed the first week of June for hearing on the bail application filed by a former governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai. When the matter came up on Tuesday, Darius Khobo, the presiding judge, said the court will review the bail application and deliver ruling in the first week of June. The judge also added that the matter would be given accelerated hearing. El-Rufai is being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a nine-count charge bordering on allegations of corruption and abuse of office. Speaking to journalists…

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has formally received and accredited Jimoh Ibrahim as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the global body. Ibrahim presented his letter of credence on Monday at the UN headquarters, officially marking the start of his diplomatic assignment. His accreditation follows an earlier step on April 1, when the former senator received his letter of credence from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after being cleared to assume office. In a statement issued by Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu, Ibrahim conveyed assurances to the United Nations and the international…