Author: Vardiafrica

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…

The US state department will begin revoking the US passports of thousands of parents who owe a significant amount of unpaid child support. The department told the Associated Press on Thursday that the revocations would begin on Friday and be focused on those who owe $100,000 or more. That would apply to about 2,700 American passport holders, according to figures supplied to the state department by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The revocation program, plans for which were first reported by the AP in February, soon will be greatly expanded to cover parents who owe more than…

The Senate has rescinded the amendment that barred first time senators from contesting presiding offices, reopening the 2027 race for Senate President and Deputy Senate President. The reversal was adopted on Thursday through a motion sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and presided over by Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau. The earlier amendment required any senator seeking to contest for presiding or principal offices to have served in the Senate for two consecutive terms, totalling eight years. The provision effectively disqualified newly elected senators and those returning after a break, limiting eligibility to a small group of ranking lawmakers. Critics…

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo with the Airbus President for Africa and Middle East, Gabriel Semelas The Federal Government of Nigeria has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with European aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus, in a strategic move aimed at transforming the country’s aviation and aerospace sector. The agreement was formalised during an official working visit by the Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to Airbus’ global headquarters in Toulouse, France. The deal is widely regarded as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to reposition its aviation industry and build a…

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu has approved his redeployment as Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to South Africa. Fani-Kayode disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, explaining that the decision followed his request to be reassigned after he was initially nominated for a diplomatic posting to Germany. According to him, he formally communicated his concerns about the Germany posting to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and requested consideration for deployment to South Africa instead. He stated that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, approved the request and forwarded it to President Tinubu, who later…

The Nigeria Police Force has confirmed the transfer of more than 1,300 personnel from the Delta State Command following public outrage over alleged misconduct and the extrajudicial killing of a civilian. Force Headquarters spokesperson, Tony Placid, disclosed the development yesterday, stating that the large-scale redeployment was approved by the police high command. The directive by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) was reportedly triggered by the controversial killing of Oghenermine Mena, as well as allegations of unprofessional conduct against some officers in the command. The redeployment is being viewed as part of efforts to restore public confidence and ease tensions in affected communities. Sources familiar…