Author: Vardiafrica

Justice Kudirat Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun took the oath of office as the 23rd Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on Monday, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reaffirming his administration’s commitment to upholding the judiciary’s independence and sanctity. Justice Kekere-Ekun, the second female CJN in Nigeria’s history, was sworn in following her confirmation by the Senate. The ceremony took place at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja witnessed by four former Chief Justices of the Federation, including the first female Justice, Aloma Mukhtar, the President of the Court of Appeal, and other heads of the judiciary divisions. ”The judiciary is…

Ahead of the October 5, 2024, local government election in Rivers State, an Abuja-based court has barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from releasing the 2023 voters’ register to the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC). This followed an order of a high court in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has ordered RSIEC to conduct the forthcoming local government elections in the state, using the 2023 voters’ register. Justice I. Igwe of the High Court gave the order on September 4, 2024, in a case instituted by the Action People’s Party (APP) against the State Electoral umpire, the…

The Nigerian Government has revealed that over 40 percent of electricity consumers in the country are currently enjoying over 20 hours of regular and stable electricity. Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu disclosed this in a statement, while reviewing the activities of the Ministry in the last one year, as the country marks its 64th Independence Anniversary. Adelabu attributed the achievements to the steps that were taken by the Ministry with the support of President Bola Tinubu as part of his renewed hope agenda to galvanise the economy. According to the Minister, one of the major and significant achievements of…

Organisers of the October 1 protest against hardship in the country have insisted they would proceed with the ‘showdown’ despite kicks by the Federal Government and warning by the Nigerian Police Force. A former presidential candidate and activist who is one of the leaders of the planned Oct 1 protest, Omoyele Sowore, gave an update on his social media platform X on Monday, insisting on the action, and saying it would be held across the country. “NO GOING BACK! #FearlessInOctober”, he wrote on Monday. The nationwide protest will hold at the Eagles Square Abuja, according to the Sowore. While giving the…

Controversial crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has filed a lawsuit against social media activist, Martins Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, demanding N1 billion in damages for defamatory and blackmail attacks. VeryDarkMan, in a viral audio recording, alleged that Bobrisky bribed some officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, with N15m to drop money laundering charges against him. In a letter from his legal team, R.T. Omuvwie & Co, which he posted via social media on Sunday, September 28, 2024, Bobrisky claimed that the audio was generated using Artificial intelligence. Bobrisky also demanded that VeryDarkMan immediately retract the audio and…

The Federal Government has initiated an investigation into allegations of ticket racketeering on the Abuja-Kaduna rail route following numerous passenger complaints. Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, announced the directive on Sunday via a statement on his official X (formerly Twitter) account. He instructed Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), to establish a committee tasked with investigating the alleged issues and resolving them. In the statement, Minister Alkali acknowledged the concerns raised by passengers regarding difficulties in purchasing tickets for the Abuja-Kaduna rail service. He emphasized that the committee’s primary objective will be to review the…

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo has appealed to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike not to set his state on fire. Wike had a few weeks ago threatened to ‘put fire and cause a political crisis in the state of any of the PDP governors pushing for the Rivers State Governor, Sim Fubara to take over the structures of the party in the state. Makinde made the plea on Saturday, September 28 2024, during a reception organized for Wike by the Ijaw World Congress in Port Harcourt. Makinde explained that the former governor has done creditably…

The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has said “nobody has the monopoly of causing violence” in the wake of the political rift between himself and the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara. Wike made the statement in Port Harcourt on Saturday at the Rivers State Ijaw Peoples Congress organised in his honour. Wike also used the opportunity to clear the air about public perception that Fubara was speaking the mind of the entire Ijaw people as both battled for supremacy. “Let me thank this team for this strategic meeting here today. First of all, when I was approached by Senator Johnson…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has approved a lawsuit seeking to compel the Federal Government to investigate the alleged connection between the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, and the activities of bandits in Zamfara State. The suit, filed by Zamfara-based human rights activist Abubakar Dahiru, names President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the Inspector General of Police as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd defendants, respectively. The plaintiff, through his counsel Mr. Ojonimi Apeh, is requesting the court to declare that President Tinubu should direct the Inspector General of…

In a bid to create a platform for critical stakeholders to share ideas, explore opportunities for collaboration and co-create pathways for the commercialisation of research outputs, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is partnering Triple Helix Nigeria (THN) to host the maiden edition of the SciBiz Annual Conference 2024. Themed “Integrating Research Innovation and Policy: Triple Helix Pathway to a Digital Nigeria,” the event, slated for Abuja between 23rd and 25th October, brings together the academia, industry and government – known as the three arms of the Triple Helix – for the purpose of formulating strategies to bridge…