Author: Vardiafrica

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced the rollout of its contactless passport application system in Europe, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The launch is set for Friday, February 7, 2025, and aims to simplify passport application and renewal processes for Nigerians in the diaspora. “This initiative set for launch on 7th of February 2025 will enable Nigerians in the Diaspora to apply for and renew their passports online from the comfort of their homes,” said NIS Comptroller General Kemi Nanna Nandap during a courtesy visit to the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in Abuja.…

US President, Donald Trump has signed an executive order banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports. “The war on women’s sports is over,” he said on Wednesday, February 5, “With my action this afternoon, we are putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice that if you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding.” The executive order, signed on National Girls and Women in Sports Day, declares that it’s “the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, led two former governors in the former G-5 Governors’ Forum, Senators and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to pay a condolence visit to the Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday. Wike, who arrived at Makinde’s Ikolaba residence in company of the former governors of Abia and Benue states, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and Samuel Ortom, commiserated with the governor, stating that “whatever affects him also affects the G-5 Governors.” The delegation also included Senators Philip Aduda, Mao Ohuabunwa, Olaka Nwogu, Sandy Onor and former Deputy Speaker of the…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has commenced the training of 364 young farmers for the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) project in Rivers State. Speaking during the orientation training for 350 incubatees and 14 incubators in Port Harcourt, the NDDC Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Winifred Madume, charged the beneficiaries to take up the challenge as future agribusiness entrepreneurs.She stated that the Federal Government jointly funded the LIFE-ND project through a loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with additional support from NDDC and counterpart funds from the participating state governments. According to the…

The Senate has approved the request by President Bola Tinubu to approve the termination of the appointment of the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) of Adamawa, Sokoto and Abia States over misconduct. Tinubu, in a letter addressed to the Senate which was read by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, during plenary on Wednesday, urged the Senate to invoke Section 157 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, on the termination of their appointments. He noted that the RECs had earlier been suspended in March 2023 before the inception of his administration. The affected RECs…

The board of trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has backed Sunday Ude-Okoye as national secretary of the party. The BoT’s decision is contained in a communique issued after a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday. The development comes less than a week after the governors elected on the PDP platform recognised Ude-Okoye as the scribe of the party. BACKGROUND The PDP is embroiled in a fresh leadership crisis as both Samuel Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye are laying claim to the position of national secretary. In December 2024, the court of appeal ruled that Ude-Okoye should replace Anyanwu as the PDP national…

President Bola Tinubu has raised the proposed 2025 budget from ₦49.7 trillion to ₦54.2 trillion, citing additional revenues generated by key government agencies. The President conveyed the budget adjustment in separate letters sent to both the Senate and the House of Representatives, which were read during plenary today by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio. According to President Tinubu, the increase was driven by ₦1.4 trillion in additional revenue from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), ₦1.2 trillion from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and ₦1.8 trillion generated by other government-owned agencies. Following the announcement, the Senate President has referred the…

In a significant move to enhance road infrastructure funding and sustain national development, the Federal Government has officially commenced toll operations on the Abuja-Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road corridor. This action, which marks the beginning of tolling operations along the vital 227.2-kilometer stretch, is aimed at repaying a $460.8 million loan secured from the China Exim Bank to rehabilitate and upgrade the road. The new tolling policy is expected to generate substantial revenue that will not only support the road’s maintenance but also contribute to the overall upkeep of federal roads across Nigeria. At the official launch of toll operations at the Garaku…

The leadership crisis in the Lagos State House of Assembly continues following the removal of former Speaker Mudashiru Obasa on January 13, 2025. To address the ongoing turmoil, some Assembly members traveled to Abuja for a meeting with President Bola Tinubu. On February 3, a key meeting was held at Lagos House Marina, attended by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Kadri Hamzat, and GAC leader Tajudeen Olusi, among others. While the agenda was not disclosed, discussions likely focused on Obasa’s removal, which has sparked political controversy. Tensions escalated further after Obasa filed a petition with the DSS on January 30,…

President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States will take control of war-torn Gaza, as he addressed reporters at the White House after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the country’s conflict with Hamas. “The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it, too. We’ll own it. And be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on this site,” Trump said. In a proposal that lacked details on how he would move out more than two million Palestinians or control Gaza, Trump said he would make…