Author: Vardiafrica

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has reiterated the importance of empowering women to the well-being and prosperity of families and the nation at large. Mrs Tinubu stated this in Owerri, the Imo State capital, during the flag-off of the presentation of empowerment items to 500 women in each of the five South-East states: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. Mrs Tinubu explained that at the end of the nationwide rollout of the initiative, 18,500 women across the country would have been empowered, with 500 beneficiaries selected from each state and the Federal Capital Territory. She said; “Today, 500 preselected…

Police in Benue State have arrested 46 people over Tuesday’s attack on the convoy of Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi along the Makurdi-Gboko federal highway. The suspects were paraded in Makurdi following the incident, which occurred as Obi travelled to Yelwata to meet victims of the June 2025 attacks in the community. The Benue State Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, said the investigation was still ongoing Nwadiogbu said the police were also tracking some leaders linked to the youths involved in the incident. He warned that the command would not tolerate political intolerance as the 2027 general election…

The Federal Government has settled the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) for academic staff of universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, from January to August 2026. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja. Mr Alausa said the affected institutions, including Federal Universities of Agriculture, had been notified to commence payment of the allowance to their academic staff. He said the government was also working to provide funds for the payment of CATA to non-academic staff, expressing optimism that the funds would be made available within the next few weeks. He said the…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has linked banditry in Nigeria to the indiscriminate consumption of alcohol The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday. Adeyeye, a professor, explained that the substance was dangerous to organs in the human body, including the brain, kidneys and liver. She said that the sale of alcohol in sachets and PET bottles was approved decades ago but became uncontrollable, prompting NAFDAC to ensure that alcohol sold in less than 200ml…

Tunji Disu, inspector-general of police (IGP), has asked Nigerians to exercise restraint when exercising their rights to record police officers on official duty. Disu spoke on Tuesday when Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), accompanied by members of the association’s executive committee, visited him at the force headquarters in Abuja. The IGP said police operatives were “jostled” by the court judgement that ruled that Nigerians can record police officers conducting stop-and-search operations in public spaces. Disu said following the judgement, Nigerians had started recording police officers everywhere, including at restaurants. The IGP said the trend is demoralising to police…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has strengthened its regulatory focus on combating terrorism financing by designating it a current supervisory priority, a move aimed at safeguarding the country’s financial system from exploitation by illicit actors.In a statement on Tuesday, the apex bank said the enhanced supervisory attention will focus on key areas including terrorism financing risk management, transaction monitoring, implementation of targeted financial sanctions, and the reporting of suspicious transactions linked to terrorism financing activities.The CBN said the initiative forms part of its broader commitment to maintaining the integrity of Nigeria’s financial sector and ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering,…

APM Terminals has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the proposed Badagry Deep-Seaport, as Nigeria’s Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Adegboyega Oyetola, led a Federal Government delegation to Denmark to strengthen maritime cooperation and attract further investment into the country’s port infrastructure. The MoU, signed in Copenhagen on Monday, 7 September 2026, marks a significant step towards the development of the greenfield port project, which is expected to provide additional deepwater capacity, accommodate larger container vessels and create new transshipment opportunities for Nigeria and the wider West African market. A statement by the minister’s…

A Train-the-Trainer Programme on Industry-relevant Technical Skills, Digital Technologies and Competency-based Teaching Methodologies for Vocational and Technical Teachers got underway in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Monday with 88 teachers enrolled and in attendance. The five-day programme, sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with the Bayelsa State Ministry of Education, is designed to equip the teachers with contemporary technical insights, digital tools, and competency-based instructional methods. The participants are expected to transition from traditional theory-heavy teaching to practical, outcome-driven methodologies that would position them to mould a generation of professionals ready to lead in industrial…

The ECOWAS Commission convened the Fourteenth Session of the Convergence Council by videoconference on September 7, 2026, to review progress towards the establishment of the ECOWAS Single Currency, The ECO, targeted for launch in 2027. The Session considered the report of the 68th Meeting of the Committee of Governors (CoG) of the Central Banks of ECOWAS Member States, held on 4 September 2026. The CoG meeting followed the 3rd Joint Meeting of the Technical Committee on Macroeconomic Policies of the ECOWAS Commission and the Technical Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the West African Monetary Agency (WAMA), held from…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) will host the fifth edition of its Book Reading Programme on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, featuring writer, journalist, public policy analyst and strategic communicator, Paul C. Nwabuikwu. This edition will focus on Nwabuikwu’s recently published book, The Pain and the Promise: Insights and Fragments on Nigeria and People, Public and Personal. The book brings together writings spanning more than three decades and reflects the author’s broad engagement with Nigeria, its people, politics, economics, public policy and the changing character of society. The book reading programme is part of NCDMB’s sustained effort to…