Author: Vardiafrica

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has received South-West governors, who are currently in Lagos for their zonal meeting. Governor Sanwo-Olu, accompanied by his deputy, Kadri Hazmat, received Governors Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Ademola Adeleke of Osun, and Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti state at the Lagos House, Ikeja. The meeting by the South-West Governors Forum, is expected to address issues affecting the zone, the new national minimum wage and Nigeria as a whole. The South-West Governors Forum is the umbrella body for all the six governors in the geo-political zone. The closed-door…

Dangote Sinotruk West Africa inaugurated a completely knocked down (CKD) truck assembly plant in Lagos state on Sunday. The inauguration had in attendance Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos. In a statement posted on X, Sanwo-Olu said the plant, situated in Ikeja, can produce 10,000 trucks annually and create about 3,000 jobs across Nigeria. “Today, I joined the President of the Senate, Hon. Godswill Akpabio for the commissioning of the CKD plant at Dangote Sinotruk West Africa Limited in Ikeja,” Sanwo-Olu said “With the capacity to assemble and produce 10,000 trucks annually, Dangote Sinotruk West Africa is…

State governors have called on the federal government to enforce a “no-meter, no-service” policy for all new electricity connections in the country. The plea was outlined in the Development of the National Integrated Electricity Policy & Strategic Implementation Plan: Policy Recommendations by State Governments to the Federal Ministry of Power document from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. In the document, state governments highlighted the critical importance of electricity meters in bridging the significant metering gap, which is essential for the viability of sub-national markets. The states also argued that State Electricity Regulatory Commissions (SERCs) should have the autonomy to determine the…

Organised Labour on Saturday tackled the state governors, accusing them of acting in bad faith towards the new minimum wage negotiations ongoing in the country. Recall that the governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum rejected the proposed N60,000 minimum wage for Nigerian workers. In a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Media and Public Affairs for NGF, Halimah Ahmed, the governors said the proposed minimum wage was too high and not sustainable. The governors said if the N60,000 minimum wage is adopted, many states would allocate their entire Federal Account Allocation Committee funds to salaries,…

Narendra Modi has been sworn in as India’s prime minister for a historic but unexpectedly constrained third term, after a relatively weak election performance caused by citizens’ concerns over rising inflation and unemployment. A survey published in The Hindu national newspaper on Thursday showed that concerns over inflation and a lack of decent jobs to employ India’s vast working-age population almost crushed Modi’s third term bid. The 73-year-old performance in the over one-month long election will leave him dependent on coalition allies in the world’s biggest democracy. Modi, flanked by officials from his Hindu-nationalist party and his coalition members, vowed…

Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has said the Federal Government has commenced an investigation into a viral video of 10 Nigerian teenagers who were trafficked to Ghana for prostitution. The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, who disclosed this on Saturday at the ‘Unlock Training and Grants’ ceremony in Abuja, said the ban on lodging of young girls in hotels will help tackle the menace of trafficking. She was reacting to the recent rescue of ten teenage Nigerian girls allegedly trafficked to Ghana for prostitution. Kennedy-Ohaneye said action against such practices like trafficking from the Ministry of Women Affairs…

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Group, shamed many people by completing the 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) petroleum refinery. Akpabio, who spoke on Saturday during a tour of the facility, described the refiner as the ninth wonder of the world. The senate president said the refinery is highly commendable, adding that Dangote deserved all the accolades for the feat. Akpabio condemned those who were sceptical of the completion of the refinery, describing them as “dream killers”. He said detractors of the refinery had all been silenced and previous governments had been put to shame with…

The 36 state governors who make up the Nigeria Governors’ Forum have said that the N60,000 minimum wage proposal by the Federal Government is not sustainable and cannot fly. A statement by the Acting Director, Media Affairs and Public Relations of the Forum, Mrs Halima Ahmed, noted that if allowed to fly, many states will use all their monthly allocations from the federation account to pay workers’ salaries. The governors appealed to members of the tripartite committee to agree on a minimum wage that would be fair and sustainable. READ ALSO: Tripartite Committee On New Minimum Wage Meets In Abuja “The…

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano and presided by Justice Simon Amobeda, on Friday, reserved judgement in the fundamental human rights suit filed by the dethroned 15th Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, following a heated argument between the prosecution counsel and defendant counsel during the hearing. Counsel to second respondent, Mahmood Magaji, told the court that he filed a preliminary objection dated May 30th and filed May 31st on four grounds bordering around his fundamental rights and the repealed Kano Emirate law. “We filed our 21 paragraph counter affidavit deposed by Abdullahi Garko and written address dated May…

The Honorable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, has commended the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Nedogas Development Company Limited for initiating and successfully executing the 300 million standard cubic feet (MMscf) Kwale Gas Gathering (KGG) Facility and Nedogas Plant in Umusam community, Delta State. Speaking at the formal commissioning of the two projects on Thursday, the Minister said the outcome of the strategic collaboration between the two companies represents “a significant advancement in the country’s efforts to promote sustainability, energy efficiency, and economic expansion.” According to him, “The NCDMB and Nedogas…