Author: Vardiafrica

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for Local Government (LG) administrations. The Supreme Court also barred governors from dissolving democratically elected Local Government councils in the country. The apex court, in a landmark judgement on Thursday, said doing so, would amount to a breach of the 1999 Constitution. In the lead judgement read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court observed that the state governments’ refusal of financial autonomy for local governments has gone on for over two decades. Justice Agim said local governments have since stopped receiving…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, says his administration has begun preparing the 2025 budget, which will be presented soon. He said the process is ongoing despite calls by the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly that he should resubmit the 2024 budget proposal. Governor Fubara stated this while addressing a delegation from Etche and Omuma Local Government Areas who paid him a solidarity visit at the government house in Port Harcourt on Wednesday. He told the people to ignore the calls by the Amaewhule group, saying that they are not legitimate. Governor Fubara said he had wanted to help the Assembly members before…

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, has ordered the Federal Government to pay Obianuju Udeh, popularly known as DJ Switch, Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, ₦2 million each for violation of their rights. The court found Nigeria in breach of Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, specifically on the right to life, security of person, freedom of expression, assembly and association, prohibition of torture, the duty of the state to investigate, and the right to effective remedy. Udeh and others alleged that these violations occurred during the peaceful protests against…

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, has ruled that the Federal Republic of Nigeria violated the human rights of Obianuju Udeh and two others. The court found Nigeria in breach of Articles 1, 4, 6, 9, 10, and 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, specifically on the right to life, security of person, freedom of expression, assembly and association, prohibition of torture, the duty of the state to investigate, and the right to effective remedy. The applicants, Obianuju Udeh, Perpetual Kamsi and Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, alleged that these violations occurred during the peaceful protests at the Lekki…

Nigeria’s external reserves have risen even more, to $35.05 billion as of July 8, 2024.This is according to the central bank’s external reserve statistics.It was reported that the reserves had achieved their greatest level since May 30, 2023, when they were $35.09 billion, approximately 14 days before the implementation of the foreign exchange (FX) unification policy in June 2023. This is the first time it has exceeded the $35 billion mark under Bola Tinubu’s administration. The rise of the reserves seems to have been supported by the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recent foreign exchange policies as well as a…

The Chief Justice Of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, says the National Judicial Council (NJC) has already activated the process of making errant judges who give misleading and conflicting judgements be made to face the consequence of their “despicable and odious conduct”. He described their conduct as an embarrassment to the judiciary and would not be handled likely. The CJN spoke at the inauguration of 22 justices for the Court of Appeal on Wednesday at the Main Courtroom of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Abuja. He urged the new justices to be upright, not to falter and toe the…

Global music streaming platform, Spotify, has announced Nigerian music sensations, Ayra Starr and Tems, as the most streamed Nigerian artistes globally. Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub- Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, announced this in Lagos on Wednesday. Okumu said that the top 30 artistes who had gained the biggest global numbers were revealed in Spotify’s music global impact list for 2024. She said that Rauw Alexandro and Ayra Starr’s Santa came top on the list, and Ayra Starr’s Comma emerged second while Tem’s Love Me Jeje, came third Luciano and Omah Lay’s Another Vibe came fourth; 21 Savage, Burna Boy and…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officiated the induction of eight new Federal Permanent Secretaries to address current and anticipated vacancies in various states and geopolitical zones within the senior administrative echelons of the Civil Service of the Federation. On Wednesday, President Tinubu administered the oath of office to the Permanent Secretaries before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council meeting. The appointees emerged after stages of the selection process by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. Comprising a written ICT tests. The appointees are Dr Emanso Umobong Okop of Akwa-Ibom State, Obi Emeka Vitalis of…

President Bola Tinubu will meet with the Organised Labour in Abuja on Thursday to further discussions on a new minimum wage for workers in Nigeria. A top labour source told Channels Television that the President invited the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to the meeting expected to be held at the Aso Villa in the nation’s capital city. The President is expected to make a decision on the ₦62,000 proposal of the government and private sector side; as well as the ₦250,000 demand of the Organised Labour. The Thursday meeting is coming about a month…

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, his wife Hafsat, and six others will appear in court on Thursday to face charges related to alleged bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of funds amounting to billions of naira. This development followed a notice of trial served on the respondents through substituted means by order of the court. A Kano State High Court granted the order on June 5, 2024, allowing the state to serve the seven respondents through substituted service, which was subsequently executed via advertisements in two national newspapers on June 6, 2024. The respondents in the…