Author: Vardiafrica

Two weeks after the Supreme Court granted financial autonomy to local governments (LGs) in Nigeria, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has declared that the electoral umpire is capable of successfully conducting LG elections if saddled with the responsibility by law. The INEC chief made this known when he appeared before a Joint National Assembly Committee on Electoral Matters to present the Ondo and Edo off-cycle elections budget on Thursday. He, however, raised the question of funding for their by-elections in the country. State governments currently organise LG elections in their respective domains with the ruling parties…

Governors from the 36 states of the federation are currently convening in Abuja, the nation’s capital. Under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, they are meeting at the NGF secretariat in the FCT. Some of the governors have already started to arrive at the meeting venue. Those already present at the venue are Governors Lawal Dauda (Zamfara), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), and Alex Otti (Abia). This is as the governors of Enugu, Peter Mbah and Borno States, Babagana Zulum, sent their deputies to represent them The agenda of the meeting is currently not made…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) have agreed to collaborate towards upgrading basic education in the country and building capacities of young Nigerians towards meeting the needs of the ever-changing oil and gas industry and the linkages sectors. The partnership opportunities were explored on Tuesday when the Executive Secretary NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe hosted his counterpart from UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi at the Board’s Abuja liaison office. The leaders agreed to set up a joint committee that would finalize details of their agencies’ collaboration, with the overall goal of contributing…

President Bola Tinubu has formally received Pius Anyim, a former president of the senate, into the fold of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Anyim defected to the ruling party in his ward in Ebonyi state last week. Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo, and Francis Nwifuru, governor of Ebonyi, led the former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) to the Aso Rock villa on Wednesday. Speaking with reporters after meeting with the president, the former senate president said the administration of Tinubu is doing well to cater to the needs of citizens. He said there is a need for…

Kenyan President William Ruto on Wednesday named four heavyweight opposition politicians to join a “broad-based” cabinet in the wake of more than a month of anti-government protests. Ruto announced the names of 10 ministers to be part of a reformed cabinet, including four who are close to veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, after a list of another 10 ministers was submitted to parliament on Tuesday. The embattled president had sacked almost his entire cabinet on July 11, announcing a new partial lineup on July 19, although this included some dismissed ministers. “I commend the leadership of diverse organisations, both in…

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume; and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; on Wednesday, met with ministers over a planned nationwide protest against economic hardship by youths. The meeting was convened behind closed doors and has all the over 40 ministers in the President’s cabinet in attendance. Some of the Minister spotted were Nyesom Wike (FCT), Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning). Others include Wale Edun (Finance), Mohammed Idris (Information), Bello Matawalle (Defence), and David Umahi (Works), amongst others The meeting between…

The US Director of Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned on Tuesday, in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former American President Donald Trump. Many Republicans had called for her to step down since the incident. US lawmakers and an internal government watchdog were investigating the agency’s handling of Mr Trump’s protection and how a gunman came close to killing the 2024 Republican presidential candidate at a rally in Pennsylvania this month On Monday, Ms Cheatle appeared before the US House Oversight Committee. The lawmakers were frustrated by her lack of specific answers about the assassination attempt. By the end of the…

The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, has announced a slash in allowances of foreign scholars who are currently stranded in Russia, Morocco, and Algeria, among others by 12.7%. The ministry attributed the development to economic crises. The PUNCH had earlier reported that Nigerian students studying in Russia, Morocco, Algeria, China, Hungary, and other countries, on the Federal Government’s scholarship lamented their unpaid stipends for eight months running.The students are studying under the Federal Government’s Bilateral Educational Agreement Scholarship. The BEA scholarship is for the purpose of education exchange between Nigeria and the partnering countries. The Federal Scholarship Board…

President Brice Oligui Nguema of Gabon has urged President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, to explore investment opportunities in Gabon, a country known for its abundant oil resources. During their meeting in Libreville, yesterday, Nguema emphasised potential investments in cement and fertiliser production, specifically urea and phosphate. President Nguema expressed enthusiasm about the potential partnership, highlighting Gabon’s commitment to creating a conducive environment for foreign investments. He noted that the collaboration with Dangote Industries would bring significant mutual benefits, including job creation, technology transfer, and enhanced industrial capacity. President Nguema expressed enthusiasm about the potential partnership,…

After many years of wearing the toga of invincibility, the overall head of the Mushin, Lagos drug cartel, 57-year-old Alhaji Sulaiman Jimoh (alias Olowoidiogede, populary known as Temo), has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at his enclave after an initial resistance from him and his horde of hoodlums. In the last two years, the NDLEA had intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira owned by Temo but he has remained largely evasive while a few encounters with him and his armed gangs in his Mushin enclave had resulted in gunfight.…