Author: Vardiafrica

King Charles III met on Thursday with Pope Leo XIV during a state visit to the Vatican, where he made history as the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with a pontiff in a service broadcast live on Vatican media. The 76-year-old monarch, who holds the title of supreme governor of the mother church of Anglicanism, flew to Rome on Wednesday evening with his wife, Queen Camilla, for what Buckingham Palace described as a “historic” trip. The royals were greeted at the Apostolic Palace on Thursday morning by a ceremonial guard of honour by the Swiss Guard, the pope’s colourful private…

President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Professor Joash Amupitan SAN as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), marking the commencement of his tenure as head of the nation’s electoral body. President Tinubu on Thursday administered the oath of office to the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during an expanded meeting of the National Economic Council at the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja. The president, during the constitutional exercise, charged the new INEC boss to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral system and strengthen the institutional capacity of the nation’s electoral…

The Nigerian police on Thursday arrested human rights activist and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore just outside the Federal High Court in Abuja. A team of police officers arrested Mr Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja where detained leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu also appeared for his terrorism trial on Thursday. In a live video streamed by Mr Sowore, the activist was seen questioning the officers about the reason for his arrest. “Do you want to bundle me? No invitation letter,” he asked, before voluntarily entering the police vehicle as his lawyers followed behind.…

Leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has opted to defend himself in court after his entire legal team withdrew from his ongoing trial on treason and terrorism charges. At Thursday’s court session, senior lawyer Kanu Agabi, who had been leading Kanu’s defence team, announced his withdrawal, stating that the defendant had chosen to handle his own representation. All the senior advocates of Nigeria (SAN) on the defence team also withdrew from the case, a decision Kanu confirmed in court. Kanu told the court that he would be representing himself for now but might consider engaging…

Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State has vowed never to negotiate with bandits or pay ransom for kidnapped victims, saying instead residents must be prepared to defend themselves against attacks.The governor made the disclosure, when he visited the people of Rijau and Magama Local Government Areas of the state, whose communities were recently attacked by bandits in Kontagora. The governor said: “The state has reached a point where the people must stand up and defend themselves because ransom will only turn kidnapping into a thriving business. “I will not negotiate with bandits. I will not pay ransom. The moment we…

The detained leader of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), made a dramatic turn on Tuesday by agreeing to enter his own defence. This development comes hours after Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, led protests in parts of Abuja demanding Kanu’s release. The detained IPOB leader had last Thursday filed a motion of preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to continue with his trial. He filed the objection the same day a team of medical experts enpanelled by the court to determine his health status, turned in a…

Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, has directed all Nigerian airlines to give serving military personnel priority boarding on all flights ahead of first and business class passengers. Keyamo announced the policy on Tuesday in Abuja during a stakeholder meeting on preparations for Nigeria’s aviation centenary celebration and the inaugural Nigerian international air show, scheduled to take place from December 2 to 4, 2025. Explaining the rationale behind the directive, the minister said the decision was aimed at recognising the sacrifices and dedication of members of the Nigerian armed forces. “This is what is done in other countries, and it is not a bad thing to…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has suspended its two-week warning strike. Chris Piwuna, president of ASUU, addressed the press on Wednesday after an overnight national executive council (NEC) meeting that ended at 4:00 am. ASUU had embarked on a warning strike on October 13 over its dissatisfaction with the federal government’s response to its demands. The demands were listed as including the conclusion of the renegotiated 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, the release of withheld salaries, and sustainable funding for the revitalisation of public universities. Others are the payment of outstanding 25-35% salary arrears, payment of over four years of promotion arrears, and the…

The Federal Government has introduced the Federal Treasury Receipt (FTR) – a landmark digital initiative designed to close revenue leakages and enhance fiscal transparency across all ministries and agencies. According to the Ministry of Finance, the FTR provides a single, verifiable digital proof for all payments into federal accounts, ensuring every government-issued receipt matches actual funds received by the Treasury. The system is part of a broader reform that includes the Central Billing System (CBS) and the Revenue Optimisation and Assurance Platform (RevOp), which went live on August 1, 2025. Together, they aim to automate revenue reconciliation, unify billing standards,…

The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has been honoured with the London Political Summit and Awards, LPSA, Nigeria Regional Government Development Champion of the Year 2025. The award ceremony, which took place at the UK House of Commons in London, was bestowed on Ogbuku for his outstanding contributions to regional development, innovation, and governance in the Niger Delta region. Presenting the certificate during a special Parliamentary Session hosted by Hon. Oliver Ryan MP, for Burnley and chaired by Prof. Kishan Devani BEM, Ogbuku was applauded for his outstanding contributions to regional development, innovation,…