Author: Vardiafrica

The United States Department of State is set to significantly restructure its visa processing operations across Africa, reducing the number of embassies and consulates handling applications from nearly 50 to 20 centres. According to an internal memo and U.S. officials cited by The Associated Press, the changes are expected to take effect in June, although no specific implementation date has been announced. Under the new arrangement, visa processing for both immigrant and non-immigrant categories will be centralised in 20 designated regional hubs across the continent. The move is part of a broader U.S. immigration policy aimed at tightening visa issuance…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday read a letter announcing the defection of Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The defection letter was, however, dated April 23, 2026. Following the announcement of his defection, Chinda subsequently resigned his position as Minority Leader of the House. Chinda, a political ally of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, recently secured the APC governorship ticket for Rivers State ahead of the 2027 elections. He emerged as the party’s candidate following the withdrawal of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Tonye Cole and…

The President of the Republic of Benin, Romuald Wadagni, on Monday, made his first official visit to Nigeria. Wadagni’s visit was on the invitation of President Bola Tinubu, who received him at the State House in Abuja. Both presidents held discussions covering all dimensions of their strategic partnership: economic and industrial integration; energy cooperation; maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea; as well as the regional situation and preserving the cohesion of the Economic Community of West African States. As the first bilateral visit by the President of the Republic since his inauguration on May 24, 2026, the Benin Government…

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, vowed to strengthen Nigeria’s maritime security architecture with the inauguration of three new naval vessels – NNS Oloibiri, NNS Mambila, and NNS Gurara. Tinubu also inaugurated a Combined Maritime Task Force for the Gulf of Guinea. Speaking at the Eko Atlantic Waterfront in Lagos to mark the commencement of activities for the Platinum Jubilee of the Nigerian Navy, the president, who flagged off the 2026 Navy International Fleet Review, described the Navy’s 70th anniversary as a historic milestone. He said the event reflected the transformation of a modest maritime service into one of Africa’s most formidable…

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri and the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omotsola Ogbe on Monday attended the 46th extraordinary ministerial meeting of African Petroleum Producers’ Organization (APPO).  At the meeting which held virtually, the Nigerian delegation reiterated the country’s commitment to the African Energy Bank’s formal commencement of operations. The meeting was chaired by President of APPO, who is also Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy, Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, with the Secretary General of APPO, Mr. Farid Ghezali in attendance. Engr. Ogbe serves as…

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, has unveiled the Nigeria Payments Systems Vision 2028, noting that the vision aims to deepen infrastructure, expand inclusion, accelerate innovation, strengthen cybersecurity, and enhance Nigeria’s integration with regional and global payment systems. “Today, we don’t just unveil a payments strategy; we unveil a vision for how Nigerians will transact, trade, save, invest, and fully participate in a digital economy.” Describing PSV 2028 as “a Nigerian project” rather than a government initiative, Governor Cardoso reaffirmed the CBN’s commitment to providing the leadership and enabling environment needed to transform the…

The federal government has partnered with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) to launch land trust fund for youths in agribusiness. Speaking at the launch on Monday in Abuja, Ayodele Olawande, minister of youth development, said the initiative will help transform 42 youth development centres into vibrant agribusiness hubs. Olawande also said six million youths will be trained and empowered in agribusiness in the next three years, adding that Nigeria’s success in agriculture is linked to access to finance, land, technical training, modern technology, mechanisation, climate-smart solutions, value chain integration, and reliable markets. “Through this initiative, we aim to transform…

Jide Idris, director-general (DG) of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), says the country is just 59 percent prepared for a potential Ebola outbreak. Earlier, the NCDC said that it had strengthened disease surveillance following the recent outbreak of Ebola in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The agency said Nigeria faces a high risk of an Ebola outbreak due to the ongoing transmission of the disease in the DRC and Uganda, as well as increased cross-border movement and international travel. Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, Idris said a recently conducted risk assessment of Nigeria’s readiness revealed some critical gaps…

Bauchi governor Bala Mohammed has dismissed reports linking him to a potential vice-presidential slot alongside former President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that his political ambition remains strictly focused on a senatorial contest. The clarification follows social media claims suggesting that Governor Mohammed was being considered as a running mate after a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party allegedly adopted former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate during a convention in Abuja. Reports had circulated that Mr Jonathan was picked as the faction’s flag bearer at a special national convention reportedly organised by a PDP…

The United States Department of State has announced a $3.5 million funding initiative aimed at strengthening the monitoring, documentation and reporting of religious freedom violations and faith-related violence in Nigeria. The programme, unveiled through the Office of International Religious Freedom under the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour, seeks to support organisations capable of gathering credible evidence of abuses linked to religion and belief for purposes of accountability, advocacy and historical documentation. According to the funding notice, the project will run for between two and four years and is expected to focus on improving the documentation of violations committed…