Author: Vardiafrica

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has handed over a fire truck to its Department of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), as part of its efforts to strengthen workplace safety and emergency preparedness within the Commission and its environs. Speaking during the handover ceremony at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Commission’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stated that safety remained a shared responsibility and emphasised the importance of equipping the HSE Department with essential firefighting tools to support accident prevention and emergency response initiatives. Ogbuku, who was represented by the NDDC Director, Administration and Human Resources, Sir Kelechi…

The federal government has pegged the minimum admission marks at 150 for both private and public universities in Nigeria. Tunji Alausa, the minister of education, announced the decision at the ongoing 2026 admission policy meeting of the education stakeholders organised in Abuja by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The federal government also set 150 as minimum admission cut off mark for colleges of nursing across the country. The committee placed the cut-off mark for polytechnics at 100, noting that any institution that admits below the agreed benchmark would be sanctioned. It was also stated at the meeting that any institution that wants…

The federal government has retained 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions in the country. The government had in July 2025 fixed 16 years as the minimum age for admission into tertiary institutions in the country, reversing the position earlier announced by Tahir Mamman, former minister of education. Speaking on Monday at the 2026 policy meeting on admissions to tertiary institutions held in Abuja, Tunji Alausa, the education minister, said the decision reflects a balance between inclusivity and academic readiness. “Following extensive consultations and policy reviews, government has maintained sixteen years as the minimum age for admission…

The Federal government has exempted candidates seeking admission into Colleges of Education from writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this while speaking at the admission policy meeting for the 2026 UTME in Abuja today May 11. He said candidates with four credit passes in relevant subjects are allowed to apply to the colleges of education without sitting for the UTME. He noted that such candidates must register with the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), while their credentials are screened, verified and certified for the issuance of admission letters through CAPS in…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has cleared 33 aspirants for the 2027 State House of Assembly primaries, with loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, dominating the final list. The screening committee released its report after a two-day exercise held at the party secretariat in Port Harcourt, confirming that 65 other aspirants failed to scale through the process. Among those cleared were all 29 serving lawmakers loyal to Wike and led by Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol. The Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, was reportedly screened for a House of Representatives seat. However,…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya, in the early hours of Monday to participate in the highly anticipated Africa Forward Summit. The President’s aircraft touched down at approximately 00:18 a.m. local time. President Tinubu was received on arrival by Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, the High Commissioner of Kenya in Nigeria, Isaac Parashina, alongside senior Kenyan government officials and members of Nigeria’s diplomatic mission in Kenya. The Africa/France Summit will be co-hosted by Williams Ruto of Kenya and French President Emmanuel Macron. President Tinubu’s participation in the summit underscores…

The Federal Government has warned telecommunications operators to improve service quality or face regulatory sanctions, stating that recent reforms have stabilized the sector and removed excuses for poor network performance. Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, issued the warning in a statement on Sunday, emphasizing that Nigeria’s connectivity gaps were largely structural, driven by years of underinvestment and constraints on operators. the government has stabilized the sector through tariff adjustments, the designation of telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure, tax harmonization efforts, and broader macroeconomic reforms. These changes have restored operator profitability and created a more…

The federal government has mandated drug tests for newly admitted and returning students across secondary schools in the country. The measures are contained in the ‘National Implementation Guidelines Against Drug and Substance Use in Schools in Nigeria’ for secondary schools. The government said the policy aims to “create a conducive environment for teaching and learning in the institutions by reducing the negative effect substance abuse has on the mental health and academic performance of students/learners”. The move comes amid concerns over a spike in cases of drug and substance abuse among adolescents in Nigeria. Under the new policy, all newly…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested Russia’s conflict with Ukraine could be drawing to a close. Speaking after Saturday’s scaled-back Victory Day military parade in Moscow, he said: “I think that the matter is coming to an end” – referring to the “special military operation” in Ukraine – while condemning Western support for Kyiv. The parade – marking the Soviet victory in World War Two – lacked the usual display of tanks and missiles, as authorities feared Ukraine might target Red Square. A US-brokered ceasefire reduced the danger of attacks and the parade passed off without incident. However Ukraine and…

Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, on Tuesday formally collected his nomination form to contest the Bauchi South Senatorial District seat on the platform of the Allied People’s Movement (APM), in his first major outing with the party since defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The governor attended the inaugural National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APM in Abuja, chaired by the party’s National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle. The session brought together senior party officials and key stakeholders and served as an opportunity for Mohammed to formally engage with the APM leadership following his recent defection. Addressing the…