Author: Vardiafrica

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has debunked claims that the rise in domestic airfares recorded in December was caused by government taxes. Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the NCAA, clarified in a post on his X handle on Sunday. According to him, market forces driven by high demand had caused the rise in airfares. Achimugu noted that the December fare increases were limited to certain high-traffic routes and are a recurring annual trend linked to festive travel demand. He maintained that the situation was not unique to aviation, pointing out that transport fares, accommodation…

President Donald Trump is focused on ending the slaughtering of Christians in Nigeria, US congressman, Riley Moore, has said. Moore, a member of the United States House of Representatives, said the bombardment of terrorist targets in Nigeria was meant to prevent the killing of Christians. “We did this in coordination with the Nigerian government, which is very important to point out. This isn’t the United States unilaterally doing this, we are doing this in coordination with the Nigerian government to help secure their country and end the slaughter of Christians in Nigeria,” he said in a post on X. The…

Nigeria’s state oil company is betting on a long-delayed gas pipeline to ignite an industrial revolution in the country’s north, its chief executive said after briefing President Bola Tinubu on Sunday. Bashir Ojulari, Group CEO of NNPC Ltd, told reporters that the company has completed welding the main line of the $2.8 billion Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pipeline, including the critical River Niger crossing – a feat that has stalled progress for years. The milestone clears the way for connecting the pipeline early next year, a move Ojulari says will “bring gas in its full form into the northern part of Nigeria.” “This is…

President Bola Tinubu has departed Lagos for Europe, the Presidency has said. The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. From Europe, Onanuga said Tinubu would continue “his end-of-year break and ahead of his official trip to Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.” “His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, has invited President Tinubu to participate in the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW 2026) Summit, which will take place in the emirate early in January. The weeklong summit…

The US conducted “powerful and deadly” strikes against ISIS (Daesh) targets in northwest Nigeria, President Donald Trump announced Thursday on his Truth Social platform. “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!” he said. “I have previously warned these Terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was. “The Department of War…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, yesterday said the persecution of Christians or members of any religion cannot and must not be tolerated, just as he stressed that Muslim militant displacement and attacks against Christians in Nigeria must end now. Netanyahu, who made this statement yesterday in a video posted on his handle on X, formerly known as Twitter, sent a strong Christmas message from the Holy Land, emphasising Israel’s commitment to protecting Christians in the Middle East and condemning religious persecution worldwide. He said: “From Jerusalem, I send warm greetings to our Christian friends around the world. I wish you…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the federal government to suspend the implementation of recently enacted tax laws until a widespread enlightenment campaign is conducted. In an interview with Arise Television, Benson Upah, NLC spokesperson, said while Nigerian workers are the largest tax-paying group in the country, they were not consulted in the processes that led to the passage and signing of the laws. He added that the failure to consult organised labour in the formation of the tax laws has led to resistance, not only from workers but from Nigerians at large. “We intend to make a push…

An airplane has, for the first time, automatically landed itself after an in-flight emergency, according to the system’s manufacturer. Two people emerged unscathed from the Beechcraft Super King Air 200 after it stopped on the runway at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport near Denver, according to video posted by emergency responders. The twin-engine turboprop landed under the control of Garmin’s Autoland system, which the company says is now installed on about 1,700 airplanes. “This was the first use of Autoland from start-to-finish in an actual emergency,” Garmin said in a statement. The operator of the plane, charter company Buffalo River Aviation, says…

Ekiti State, on Tuesday, emerged the first state in the Federation to domesticate the Nigeria Tax Administration Act with the signing into law of the Ekiti State Revenue Administration Law, 2025 by the Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji. Governor Oyebanji assented to the new revenue law, just as he signed the State’s 2026 Budget of N415,572,070,139.44 (Four hundred and fifteen billion, five hundred and seventy-two million, seventy thousand, one hundred and thirty-nine naira, forty-four kobo) at a brief ceremony held at the Executive Council Chamber, Governor’s Office, Ado-Ekiti. The signing of the laws was witnessed by the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs)…

The Federal Government has disclosed that Nigerian security agencies are collaborating with major social media companies to identify and shut down accounts used by terrorists and criminal gangs to publicise attacks, flaunt stolen items and raise funds. The Director-General of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, made this known on Tuesday during an end-of-year briefing in Abuja, revealing that platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and X have increasingly been exploited by terrorist groups operating across the country. According to Laka, security agencies have held several engagements with the social media companies to ensure that content…