Author: Vardiafrica

The Minister of Information Mohammed Idris says the Federal Government and the leadership of the Organised Labour have agreed on ₦70,000 as the new minimum wage for Nigerian workers. The minister said the agreement was reached at a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Thursday in Abuja. “We are happy to announce today (Thursday) that both the Organised Labour and the Federal Government have agreed on an increase on the N62,000 minimum wage. The new national minimum that Mr President is expected to submit to…

Tahir Mamman, the minister of education, has asked Nigerian tertiary institutions to admit candidates from the age of 16 for the 2024 session. The pronouncement came a few hours after the minister directed that candidates seeking admission into universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education must now be 18 and above. Mamman spoke on Thursday at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 2024 policy meeting. His pronouncement, however, attracted loud disapproval from the crowd of education stakeholders consisting of heads of tertiary institutions, registrars, and their admission office Responding to their pleas, the minister stressed that the law required that children should…

The Court of Appeal Abuja has dismissed the appeal brought before it by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Timipre Sylva to challenge the judgment of the Bayelsa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. The Tribunal had in its judgment delivered May 17, 2024, in Abuja, upheld the election and the return of Senator Douye Diri and his deputy, Senator Lawrence Eruwjadkpo as lawfully elected governor and deputy respectively. Justice James Abundaga who read the lead judgment of the Court of Appeal affirmed the declaration of Diri and the People’s Democratic Party PDP as the joint winners of…

Members of the house of representatives have resolved to slash their salaries by 50 percent due to the pervasive economic hardship across the country. The lower legislative chamber passed the resolution during plenary on Thursday, following the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance. The motion was titled: ‘An Appeal to the Proponents of Proposed Nationwide Protest to Maintain Peace, Eschew Violence and Open the Windows for Meaningful Engagements with Government at all Levels in Order to Address their Issues’. It was sponsored by Ibrahim Isiaka from Ogun state. Ben Kalu, deputy speaker, proposed the amendment, stating that it is a…

The Federal Government has directed that admission to tertiary institutions should not be given to candidates under 18 years old The Minister of Education, Mister Tahir Mamman, gave the directive in Abuja on Thursday at the 2024 Policy meeting of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). Although the announcement elicited mixed reactions from vice-chancellors, rectors and registrars present at the meeting, the minister decried the activities of some parents, who are pressuring their underage wards to get admission into tertiary institutions. The minister said that the 18-year benchmark is in line with the 6-3-3-4 system of education. “JAMB is…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum have declared support for the Rivers State Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara and his government, saying that they would do everything possible to ensure the resolution of the political crisis in the State. The governor’s also advised those fanning the embers of conflict and crisis with the aim of distracting the Governor and destabilising the government to desist, and allow him deliver good governance to Rivers people unimpeded. In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Rivers State governor, Nelson Chukwudi, said the position was part of a communique issued at the…

The management of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has insisted that international oil companies (IOCs) are frustrating its request to purchase crude feedstock for the Dangote refinery. In a statement on Wednesday, Devakumar Edwin, vice-president of oil and gas at Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), said the implementation of the domestic crude supply obligation (DCSO) guidelines would allow the refinery to deal directly with companies producing crude oil in Nigeria. On June 4, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, said some international oil IOCs were struggling to supply crude to his refinery. Edwin said IOCs operating in Nigeria have consistently rebuffed the company’s requests for locally produced crude…

Following the resolution reached by the service chiefs on Tuesday in a meeting in Abuja to deal with perpetrators of oil theft and increase crude oil production in the country, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, has held a meeting with top security officers within the South-South geopolitical zone as well as relevant bodies. The meeting was held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the Nigerian Army, 6 Division in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The closed-door meeting lasted over five hours. It was a meeting between the CDS and top General Officers Commanding divisions within…

The three-year dispute between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria has been resolved — but not without some caveats. On Monday, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, announced that the UAE and Nigeria had reached an agreement for the resumption of travel for citizens beginning July 15.  Idris said the resolution was reached following “successful talks and extensive, mutually beneficial negotiations”. However, the minister said the new deal includes “updated controls and conditions” to facilitate obtaining a UAE visa. One of the new requirements is obtaining a document verification number (DVN). According to the DV hub, the process is a…

A 24-year-old Nigerian man has broken a world record by continuously playing a soccer videogame for more than three days. Oside Oluwole aka “Khoded” performed the longest videogame marathon playing a soccer game, registering a time of 75 hours. He far surpassed the previous record of 50 hours, set by Englishman David Whitefoot in 2022. Oside, a qualified biochemist who currently works as a car dealer, attempted this record to raise money for a local hospital in his hometown of Ijebu Ode. Unlike all seven previous record holders who played either FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer during their attempts, Oside played mobile game Dream League Soccer…