Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has written two letters to the Senate, seeking confirmation of 21 nominees for the boards of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). In the first letter, President Tinubu nominated Senator Magnus Abe to serve as the NUPRC board chair. Abe, who represented Rivers South East in the Senate for two terms, is a former NNPC board member and current chairman of the National Agency of the Great Green Wall. Other nominees for the NUPRC board are Engineer Paul Yaro Jezhi, a former Trade Union Congress…

Manchester United have sacked boss Ruben Amorim, the club has confirmed. The announcement was made on Monday morning less than 24 hours after Amorim held a stunning news conference following the 1-1 draw with Leeds United in which he urged United bosses to “do your jobs.” Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher is set to take charge of United’s trip to Burnley on Wednesday. Sources have told ESPN that the club is still mapping out a succession plan but is leaning toward naming an interim boss until the end of the season before making a permanent appointment in the summer. Amorim was informed in person…

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared in a New York court on Monday, two days after he was whisked away by the United States special forces in a military operation in Caracas. Images showed an armoured vehicle carrying Maduro and his wife arriving at the courthouse earlier. Maduro is facing four counts relating to alleged drugs and weapons possession and trafficking. Cilia Flores, his wife; Ernesto Guerra, Maduro’s son; Diosdado Rondon, minister of interior, justice and peace; Ramon Chachin, former interior minister; and Héctor Flores, leader of Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan transnational crime gang; were named as co-defendants. According to the indictment, Maduro…

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has issued a stern warning to the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, to stay away from Rivers State politics, describing the state as a “no go area” for meddlers. Wike delivered the message during a “thank you” visit to Oyigbo Local Government Area, escalating tensions within the APC over internal party squabbles. The admonition came in response to Basiru’s Sunday statement urging APC National Vice Chairman (South-South), Victor Giadom, to stop disrespecting Governor Siminalayi Fubara to curry favour with Wike. Basiru’s remarks followed Giadom’s controversial December 30, 2025,…

The United Kingdom has rolled out expanded enforcement powers allowing authorities to confiscate mobile phones and SIM cards from migrants who enter the country illegally. The new measures, which do not require an arrest, came into force on Monday at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent and represent a significant tightening of border controls. According to the Home Office, the powers are intended to support intelligence-gathering operations aimed at disrupting criminal networks that organise and profit from dangerous Channel crossings. Officials at the centre are equipped with technology that enables them to extract and analyse data from seized devices,…

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the military, the police, and the Department of State Services (DSS) to track down and apprehend those responsible for the attack on Kasuwan Daji community in Niger state. In a statement on Sunday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said the president also directed security agencies to urgently rescue all victims abducted during the attack. Tinubu gave the directives following the killing of 42 villagers in Niger state by terrorists suspected to be fleeing from Sokoto and Zamfara after the United States air strike on Christmas eve. Women and children were also…

The federal government has withdrawn the criminal charge against Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central. The notice of discontinuance was filed in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/195/2025 between the federal government and Akpoti-Uduaghan. The document, dated December 12, 2025, was brought pursuant to sections 108(1), 108(2)(a) and 108(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. “The Office of the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation intends to discontinue proceeding in this matter,” the notice reads. The notice was signed by M.B. Abubakar, director of public prosecutions of the federation, and Aderonke Imana, the assistant chief state counsel. The filing was made on…

At least 30 people were killed when terrorists attacked a village market in Kabe District, Borgu Local Government Area of Nigeria’s Niger State, police said Sunday. The attackers stormed Kasuwan Daji market in Demo village on Saturday, setting the market ablaze, looting shops, and abducting an unspecified number of residents, according to the Niger State Police Command. “On January 3, 2026, at about 9 pm, information received revealed that at about 4.30 pm of the same date, suspected bandits from the National Park forest along Kabe District invaded Kasuwan Daji, located at Demo village via Kabe, burnt the market, looted…

President Bola Tinubu has held a private meeting with the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, in Paris, France, where both leaders discussed global affairs and issues affecting Africa. The closed-door lunch marks the first public appearance of President Tinubu since he departed Nigeria on December 28, for Europe on an end-of-year break and ahead of an official engagement in the Middle East. President Tinubu had left Lagos on Sunday, December 28, to continue his end-of-year break before proceeding on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates. A statement earlier issued by the Special Adviser to the…

The Janaza (funeral prayer) for the close associates of boxing star Anthony Joshua is set to be held on Sunday in London. Sina Ghami and Abdul Latif Kevin Ayodele tragically lost their lives in a road accident in Nigeria last Monday. Anthony Joshua was also involved in the accident but escaped with minor injuries. At the London Central Mosque, several people were gathered for the Janaza (funeral) prayer, with a funeral for Ghami expected to take place at Hendon Cemetery and Crematorium from noon. A wake for the pair is also scheduled to take place from around 3pm at Cavendish…