Author: Vardiafrica

The former finance minister of Benin, Romuald Wadagni, officially became the country’s president on Sunday, taking over from his predecessor — and ex-boss — Patrice Talon. Wadagni, an economist with a reputation as a technocrat who embodies continuity with Talon’s two mandates, was elected April 12 with 94 percent of the ballots. His sole token opponent, Paul Hounkpe, was easily beaten, and Hounkpe’s party quickly joined forces with Wadagni’s party in the parliament. The main opposition party, the Democrats, was not able to participate in the elections because insufficient endorsements and internal rifts. “I will serve Benin with integrity, courage…

President Bola Tinubu has emerged as the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate after defeating Stanley Osifo The president polled 10.99 million votes to defeat his only rival, who scored 16,504 in the APC presidential primaries held in 8,809 wards across the country. This emerged from the ongoing national collation of the presidential primaries results at the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja. APC governors in 31 states and other top brass of APC who are coordinators and collation officers in their states presented the results of the direct primaries to the presidential Primary Election Committee, chaired…

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s World Cup squad have been told to isolate for 21 days before they can enter the US because of the Ebola outbreak. DR Congo are training in Belgium after their training camp – scheduled to take place in Kinshasa – was cancelled. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House Task Force for the World Cup, said the squad must remain in a “bubble” in Belgium. “They need to maintain that bubble or they risk not being able to travel to the United States. We cannot be any clearer,” he told ESPN., external The Centers for Disease Control and…

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has escalated its fiscal enforcement strategy, placing 11 domestic operators on an updated “No-Pay-No-Service” list. This enforcement action directly targets carriers that have fallen significantly behind on their statutory financial obligations to the regulator. At the core of the dispute is the chronic late or non-remittance of the 5% Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC). Collected by the airlines on behalf of the regulatory bodies, these funds are meant to finance critical safety oversight, personnel training, and general civil aviation economic regulations. Under this directive, the NCAA is effectively freezing administrative and regulatory support for the…

Vice President Kashim Shettima arrived in Cotonou, capital of the Benin Republic, on Saturday ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Romuald Wadagni. Shettima is attending the event as a special guest and representative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inauguration ceremony scheduled to take place at the Presidential Palace in Cotonou on Sunday, May 24, 2026. The Vice President was received on arrival at the Cardinal Bernadin Gantin International Airport by Benin Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, S.E.M Olushegun Adjadi Bakari; Nigeria’s Ambassador-designate to the Benin Republic, Ambassador Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim; Minister at the Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou, Ambassador Bukar…

Pep Guardiola will step down as Manager of Manchester City this summer. The Catalan, who joined City in July 2016, has had a transformative effect during his ten years in charge, and will leave having won 20 major trophies – making him the most successful Manager in our history. Despite his departure as Manager of Manchester City, Pep will continue his relationship with the City Football Group, by taking up a role as a Global Ambassador. The role will see him giving technical advice to the clubs in the group, working on specific projects and collaborations. “When I arrived, my…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has unveiled a fresh industrial growth agenda for Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, rallying stakeholders to deepen indigenous participation across the midstream and downstream value chain. The renewed push took center stage at the 2026 Nigerian Oil and Gas Midstream and Downstream Stakeholders Summit in Lagos, where regulators, investors, operators, manufacturers, financiers and indigenous service providers gathered to develop practical strategies for unlocking investments, strengthening local capacity and sustaining growth across Nigeria’s energy industry. The two-day summit, themed “Unlocking, Growing and Sustaining Nigerian Content Development in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Midstream and…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially unveiled guidelines and committees for the conduct of its 2026 presidential primaries, adopting a direct primary mode that will allow all registered party members to participate in the exercise nationwide. The party, in a document issued by its National Secretariat in Abuja, said the direct primary would hold across all the 8,809 wards in the country on May 24, 2026 According to the APC, every registered member of the party will be eligible to vote for the presidential aspirant of their choice during the exercise. The party also disclosed that results from each…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries across several states yesterday produced a mix of consensus endorsements, withdrawals by aspirants, affirmation votes, and complaints over alleged irregularities, as party members prepared for the 2027 general elections. This comes as the national leadership of the party rescheduled governorship primary elections in Bauchi and Kwara states to Friday, May 22, 2026. In Kano State, Governor Abba Yusuf emerged as the APC’s sole governorship candidate following a consensus congress held at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano. The motion for Yusuf’s adoption was moved by the Deputy President of the Senate and Senator…

Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reassured the people of Rivers State of his administration’s commitment to the completion of the various ongoing infrastructure projects located in different parts of the state. The governor, who gave this indication on Friday while inspecting the level of work on the new Airport Road Bypass in Port Harcourt, disclosed that the project had reached sixty-five per cent (65%) completion stage. Fubara in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi, on Friday, said despite recent developments on the political scene, he remains in “high spirits,” ready to continue with…