Author: Vardiafrica

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has launched a nationwide sensitisation campaign to educate Nigerians on proper handling of the naira, warning against practices such as spraying, selling, writing on, or mutilating banknotes. The roadshow, themed “Naira Our Pride: Handle with Care,” kicked off in Abuja on Wednesday as part of the apex bank’s efforts to preserve the integrity of the national currency and reduce the huge costs of reprinting damaged notes. CBN’s Deputy Governor, Operations Department, Mr. Bala Bello, represented by Dr. Sikiru Adetona, urged Nigerians to keep the naira clean, avoid folding or crushing it, and to always treat it…

Malawi’s president, Lazarus Chakwera has conceded defeat in the country’s presidential election, calling former leader Peter Mutharika the “presumptive winner.”   In an address on national television on Wednesday just hours before the final results were announced, Chakwera said he had spoken with Mutharika to congratulate him. “This outcome is a reflection of your collective will to have a change of government, and so it is only right that I concede defeat out of respect for your will as citizens and out of respect for the constitution,” Chakwera said in his address to Malawians. Partial results released on Monday suggested…

First Bank is set to launch tailored financial services for people with disability and physically challenged customers across its operations. According to the bank, the initiative is part of its broader continuous commitment to promoting financial inclusion and diversity. It would benefit customers who are blind, and physically challenged across its operations. This initiative is part of FirstBank’s broader continuous commitment to promoting Financial Inclusion and Diversity, which is shown in its policies, partnerships and initiatives such as its employees’ ratio of female to male (about 41%:59%; and 37 per cent women in management roles) as well as the FirstBank…

More than 3 billion people in over 180 countries use WhatsApp, and we’re always working to keep our users closely connected, no matter where they are in the world. That’s why we’re excited to bring message translations to WhatsApp, so you can more easily communicate across languages. Now, when you want to translate a WhatsApp message to another language, you can simply long-press the message and tap Translate. Choose the language you want the message to be translated from or to, and download it to be saved for future translations. This works for 1:1 chats, groups, and Channel updates too.Android…

The interest rate was lowered by 50 basis points, from 27.5% in July to 27.5% now, by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Addressing newsmen, CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, said the decision of the committee was to lower the monetary policy rate was predicated on the sustained disinflation recorded in the past five months. The CBN’s cautious attitude to market volatility was indicated by the retention of the asymmetric corridor around the MPR at +260 and -250 basis points, which served as a framework for managing liquidity. It also cut commercial banks’ cash reserve requirements to…

Nigerian Afrobeats superstar joins the Recording Academy as a voting member, strengthening African representation in the world’s most prestigious music awards Afrobeats global superstar Davido has achieved yet another career milestone, officially becoming a voting member of the Recording Academy, the organization behind the GRAMMY Awards. This recognition grants the Nigerian music heavyweight a decisive role in shaping the outcome of the 2026 GRAMMY Awards, where he will participate in both the nomination and final-ballot voting stages. The Recording Academy confirmed Davido’s induction in a video shared via Instagram on Tuesday, showcasing him alongside other new members of the 2026…

Excessive speeding, human error, and misapplication of emergency braking system were the major causes of the derailment of the Abuja-Kaduna train, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has revealed. The accident happened on August 26, 2025, leaving 22 passengers wounded. This was revealed by the NRC Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, in a statement issued on Monday. He said the revelation is following the conclusion of an internal investigation into the derailment that occurred near Asham. The accident saw several coaches of the Kaduna-bound passenger train overturn, causing panic among the 618 passengers onboard. Dr. Opeifa said the derailment was not linked…

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, said fourteen financial banks in Nigeria have already met their 2026 recapitalisation requirement. Cardoso disclosed this on Tuesday in a briefing after the 302nd Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Abuja. He said the Nigerian banking sector remained strong and resilient. Cardoso, however, did not mention the names of the banks that have met its recapitalisation requirements. “About 14 banks have met the regulatory capital requirements.” During the 301st MPC meeting in July 2025, Cardoso had said eight banks have met CBN’s minimum capital requirements. There are reports that banks like Zenith Bank, Access…

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have announced they will immediately withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), labelling it an “instrument of neo-colonialist repression”. The three military-led countries issued a joint statement, saying they would not recognise the authority of the UN-backed court, based in The Hague. “The ICC has proven itself incapable of handling and prosecuting proven war crimes, crimes against humanity, crimes of genocide, and crimes of aggression,” the three leaders said. The court has not yet responded to the decision by the three countries, all of which with close ties to Russia whose leader Vladimir Putin has…

Embattled Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central in the Senate will soon be resuming legislative function as the Sergeant at Arms of the National Assembly, along with combined personnel of security organisations, have unsealed her office of the Senate wing. The office was unsealed this morning September 23 ahead of the resumption of the Senate plenary on October 7. Recall that Senator Natasha was suspended for six months from the Senate on March 7 following her clash with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over seat allocation. Earlier this month, the Senate clerk had written to Senator Natasha informing her…