Author: Vardiafrica

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has condemned the recent attack on students of Government Secondary School Kuriga, in Chikun LGA, Kaduna state. On Thursday, over 200 students and pupils were kidnapped by bandits who attacked the school. In a statement on Friday, Christian Munduate, UNICEF representative in Nigeria, said schools are learning sanctuaries and should not be places of fear and violence. She expressed concern over the recent abduction of over 200 women, boys and children from an IDP camp in Ngala area of Borno state. “I am deeply saddened and concerned by the reports of yet another abduction of students in Kaduna…

President Bola Tinubu has condemned the abduction of internally displaced persons, and students in Borno and Kaduna States, and has directed an immediate rescue of the victims. In a statement by Special Adviser to the President, Ajuri Ngelale on Friday, the president described the victims as “very vulnerable”, directing security and intelligence agencies to rescue them and ensure that justice is served against the perpetrators of the abominable acts. “I have received briefing from security chiefs on the two incidents, and I am confident that the victims will be rescued. Nothing else is acceptable to me and the waiting family…

Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, says no sacrifice is too big for him to make for the restoration of peace in the state. Fubara spoke on Thursday in an interview with AIT. The governor said he is willing to leave office if it will bring peace to the south-south state. “No sacrifice will be too big for me to pay for the success of this administration and the reason is very simple,” Fubara said. “It is not political love. It is not because I want to gain any favour from anybody. My interest and love for our dear state is genuine.…

President Bola Tinubu has suspended the Managing Director/CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad. Confirming the suspension in a statement on Thursday, presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said the President also suspended three executive directors of the agency “In the light of new findings unearthed during a comprehensive investigation into the financial activities of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), President Bola Tinubu has approved the indefinite suspension of the Managing Director/CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, alongside three Executive Directors of the Agency, from office,” the statement read. “Olaniyi Alaba Netufo — Executive Director,…

Bandits have reportedly attacked a government primary school at Kuriga community of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducting scores of pupils. The community is located along the Kaduna Birnin-Gwari Road which has been terrorised by bandits for many years. The police authorities and the Kaduna State government are yet to confirm the incident but a local source told Channels Television that the bandits invaded the school at 8:30 am on Thursday, and took away many pupils including the head teacher. He said that many students sustained injuries as they attempted to flee the school on sighting the bandits. Bandit…

Sweden on Thursday became the 32nd member of NATO with the handover of documents at a ceremony in Washington, a historic move that Secretary of State Antony Blinken said marked a “strategic debacle” by Russia. “Good things come to those who wait,” Blinken said as he accepted the accession documents from Sweden’s prime minister, following ratification by the 31 other alliance members. “I think if you step back and think of where we were three years ago, none of this was foreordained,” Blinken said of Sweden joining NATO. There is “no clearer example than today of the strategic debacle that…

Oil and gas industry stakeholders and leading academics on Tuesday began a three-day Research and Development (R&D) Zonal Workshop at the Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma, with special focus on needs-driven research and deepening of collaboration and linkages, sponsored by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). The workshop provides a forum for discussions and demonstration of research breakthroughs on software and hardware as they relate to oil and gas industry needs, bioremediation and related oil field chemicals solutions, such as additives and drilling fluids, and renewable solutions to meet industry needs. Scheduled to be hosted in the six…

A federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Kubwa has struck out the N1 billion suit instituted against Abubakar Malami, former attorney-general of the federation. Malami was sued in his official and personal capacities alongside Asabe Waziri, civil servant and founder of Asabe Waziri Justice Advocacy Initiative. At the court session on Thursday, Oluyemisi Adelaja, presiding judge, struck out the case for lack of diligent prosecution. “The claimant is the one who filed the action and is required to be seen diligently prosecuting same but they are not in court and there is no reason for their absence before the court,” the…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has demanded N794,000 as the new national minimum wage for workers in the south-west zone. Funmi Sessi, chairperson of the Lagos state chapter of the NLC, said this on Thursday during her presentation at the ongoing public hearing of the tripartite committee on national minimum wage in Lagos. According to Punch, Sessi said the demand was agreed upon by all the members of the union in the south-west. On January 30, the federal government inaugurated a 37-member tripartite committee on national minimum wage. The committee is tasked with the responsibility of recommending a new national minimum wage…

A forensic analyst has told a federal capital territory (FCT) high court in Maitama that the documents used to request the payment of $6.2 million for foreign election observers were forged. Bamaiyi Meriga, the forensic analyst, said this on Thursday while giving evidence as a witness in the trial of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Emefiele is standing trial on a 20-count amended criminal charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The amended charges border on alleged criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy to commit forgery, procurement fraud and conspiracy to commit…