Author: Vardiafrica

The Trump administration is nearly tripling the number of countries whose passport holders will be required to post bonds of up to $15,000 to apply to enter the United States. Less than a week after adding seven countries to the list of nations subject to visa bonds, bringing the total to 13, the State Department on Tuesday added 25 more. The bond requirement for the latest additions will take effect Jan. 21, according to a notice posted on the travel.state.gov website. The move means that 38 countries, most of them in Africa but some in Latin America and Asia, are now on the list,…

Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, admitted the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and one of Malami’s wives, Hajia Asabe Bashir, to bail in the sum of N500 million naira each. Justice Nwite in his ruling in the defendants bail application stated that he based his decision on the interest of justice despite the seriousness of the allegations against the defendants. Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), had last week arraigned the trio on a 16 count criminal…

US President Donald Trump has said Venezuela “will be turning over” up to 50 million barrels of oil – worth about $2.8bn (£2.1bn) – to the US, after a military operation to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power. The oil will be sold at its market price, Trump posted on social media, adding he would control the money raised and use it to benefit the people of Venezuela and the US.His comments come after he said the US oil industry would be “up and running” in Venezuela within 18 months and that he expected huge investments to pour into the…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Olugbemisola Titilayo Odusote as the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, making her the first woman to hold the position since the institution was established in 1962. The appointment takes effect from January 10, 2026, and is for a four-year tenure. Dr. Olugbemisola Odusote, 54, is currently the Deputy Director-General and Head of the Lagos Campus of the Nigerian Law School. She will succeed Professor Isa Hayatu Chiroma, whose eight-year tenure ends on January 9, 2026. Odusote earned her LL.B degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and was called to…

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, on Tuesday paid courtesy visits to former Heads of State, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as well as Governor Muhammed Umaru Bago of Niger State, reaffirming the commitment of Nigerian Army to operational excellence, enhanced security and collaboration with state governments and national leaders. Lieutenant General Shaibu highlighted the ongoing initiatives by the Nigerian Army to strengthen training, doctrine and operational readiness across formations. He briefed the former leaders and the state government on exercises being conducted across Army training institutions, aimed at ensuring personnel receive practical and…

The national working committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Kabiru Turaki, is currently meeting with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja. The meeting is taking place at the former president’s office in the Maitama area of the nation’s capital. The agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, but TheCable understands the discussion is linked to the leadership within the opposition party and the state of the nation. In November, a faction of the party backed by the PDP governors, including Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi, and Seyi Makinde of Oyo, held a convention and elected new NWC members,…

Venezuela’s parliament on Monday formally swore in Delcy Rodriguez as interim president, two days after US forces captured her predecessor, Nicolas Maduro, and flew him to New York to face trial on drug trafficking charges.Rodriguez, who served as Maduro’s vice president, took the oath of office before the National Assembly, addressing lawmakers: “I take this oath in the name of all Venezuelans. I am in pain over the kidnapping of our heroes, the hostages in the United States,” she said, referring to Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The session also saw the reelection of Rodriguez’s brother, Jorge Rodriguez, as parliament speaker, consolidating…

The Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Professor Ngozi Odu, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. Odu’s defection comes more than a month after Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the majority of state and federal lawmakers from Rivers State left the PDP for the APC. She completed her registration on Sunday at Akabuka, Ward 8, Unit 11 in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state and subsequently toured the six zones of the LGA to sensitise residents on the ongoing APC e-registration exercise.The development was disclosed in a statement issued in Port Harcourt by the Head…

Junk food adverts are banned on television and online starting on Monday as part of a drive to tackle childhood obesity. The UK-wide ban stops food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) being advertised on TV before 21:00 and at any time online. It applies to products considered to be the biggest drivers of childhood obesity, including soft drinks, chocolates and sweets, pizzas and ice creams. The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said it is committed to helping people eat healthily and has been voluntarily abiding by the new restrictions since October. As well as more obviously…

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has stated its commitment to completing the sand-filling and reclamation project in Okochiri, Okrika Local Government Area, and the 4.5-kilometre Nonwa-Uedeme-Ogu Road linking Tai and Ogu-Bolo Local Government Areas of Rivers State. Speaking during an inspection of the projects, the NDDC Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Alabo Boma Iyaye, reiterated the Commission’s resolve to ensure that all ongoing projects across the region were completed and inaugurated for the benefit of the people. Iyaye expressed satisfaction with the progress of work at the Okochiri reclamation project and noted that it would help the community gain…