Author: Vardiafrica

Dangote and Nigeria’s regulatory authorities have been in dispute in recent weeks over the refinery located in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State. It reached a new high when the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said the government was yet to license the refinery for the commencement of operations. But as part of moves to resolve the issues, Lokpobiri and other players in the oil and gas sector met with Dangote on Monday. In a statement by the Special Adviser Media and Communication to the minister Nneamaka Okafor, those who attended the meeting include the Authority Chief…

Kimberly Cheatle, director of the US Secret Service, says the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was the agency’s “most significant operational failure” in decades. Cheatle spoke during a congressional hearing on Monday, adding that she takes full responsibility for the agency’s oversight. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had identified the gunman who opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. One audience member was killed, and three people, including Trump, were injured James Comer, the oversight committee chairman, said the assassination attempt questioned Cheatle’s competence and asked her to resign.…

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says it has commenced investigation over an incident involving a Max Air plane in which its four tyres burst before takeoff.  In a statement on Sunday, signed by Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB’s director, public affairs and consumer protection, the bureau said the aircraft, departing from Yola airport to Abuja, aborted takeoff on the runway. “This evening, Max Air’s flight NGL1649, a Boeing 737 with registration 5N-ADB, carrying 119 passengers and 6 crew members, was cleared for takeoff from Yola Airport en route to Abuja,” the statement reads. “During the takeoff roll, a loud bang was heard, identified…

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man, says he is willing to sell his oil refinery to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. Aliko spoke in an interview with Premium Times on Sunday. The billionaire’s statement comes amid a dispute between the refinery and Nigeria’s regulatory authorities in Nigeria. “Let them (NNPCL) buy me out and run the refinery the best way they can. They have labelled me a monopolist,” Dangote said. “That’s an incorrect and unfair allegation, but it’s okay. If they buy me out, at least, their so-called monopolist would be out of the way. “We have been facing fuel crisis…

Frantic bids by drug syndicates to smuggle in and out of Nigeria consignments of Cocaine and Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis concealed in incense candles, game packs, dry hibiscus leaves and ladies’ native wears through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, and some courier firms in Lagos have been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, following the seizure of the illicit shipments and arrests of suspects linked to them. A businessman, Abdulwahab Owolabi Alebiosu was on Thursday 18th July 2024 arrested at his Horizon Court, Lekki, Lagos residence after a consignment of 40 parcels of…

President Bola Tinubu on Sunday reeled out the achievements of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to African leaders. He spoke in Accra, the Ghanaian capital on Sunday while presenting the achievements of ECOWAS in the past year at the Sixth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union (AU), according to a statement from his spokesman Ajuri Ngelale. “We supported six member states in ratifying the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement, and thirteen Member States have ratified the AFCFTA agreement,” the statement quoted Tinubu who is the regional bloc’s chairman. “The ECOWAS interconnected System for the Management of Goods…

Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out of the US presidential election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new nominee, in a stunning move that upends the 2024 race for the White House. The 81-year-old Biden stepped aside after weeks of pressure from Democrats following a disastrous debate performance, throwing the election battle against Republican Donald Trump into unprecedented turmoil. “While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President…

Donald Trump has declared that the bullet he took during his assassination attempt was for democracy. In a rally held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, former President Donald Trump addressed thousands of supporters, declaring that he “took a bullet for democracy” after surviving an assassination attempt last week. This event marked his first rally with new running mate JD Vance and the first public appearance since the incident. Trump, speaking to a packed arena at the Van Andel Arena, emphasised his resilience and readiness to “take back the White House.” He criticised Democrats for labeling him a “threat to democracy” and…

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, in a groundbreaking judgment, has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hold Nigeria’s state governors, their deputies and others to account over cases of electoral violence, bribery, vote-buying, and conspiracy during the chaotic 2023 general elections. In a first, the court ordered INEC to ensure “the appointment of independent counsel to investigate cases of electoral violence and other electoral offences against state governors and their deputies during the 2023 general elections.” The court also ordered INEC to “to promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate cases of electoral violence and other electoral offences…

President Bola Tinubu will depart Nigeria for Ghana to attend the sixth mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union on July 20. In a statement on Friday, Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, said the meeting will involve Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the Regional Mechanisms (RMs), and the African Union member states. Ngelale said the meeting will be held in alignment with the AU’s 2024 theme, which is ‘Educating and empowering Africa for the 21st century’. He said Tinubu, who is also the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), will be presenting the 2024 report on the state…