Author: Vardiafrica

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, has arrived at the Government House in Port Harcourt on a visit to Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. Accompanying the NSA were the Minister of Works, Engineer David Umahi, and his counterpart at the Environment Ministry, Balarabe Lawal. They arrived in the oil-rich state on Monday to begin a high-level inspection of key sites in Rivers State, as part of a Federal Government delegation currently in the state. Other delegates include the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the Director-General of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, Chukwuemeka Woke. Earlier, the senior…

Rivers State Governor, Sir Simnalayi Fubara, has commiserated with the people of Bayelsa State and the family of its late Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo. Governor Fubara, who paid a condolence visit to his Bayelsa counterpart, Senator Douye Diri, on Sunday in Government House, Yenagoa, accompanied by a high-powered delegation, said Rivers people were also in grief over Senator Ewhrudjakpo’s death as whatever impacted Bayelsa had a ripple effect on his state. He said: “Rivers and Bayelsa would remain as one people. While you in Bayelsa are grieving, our state is also grieving. Our story in Rivers cannot be complete…

The remaining 130 schoolchildren kidnapped by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria’s north-central Niger State in November have been released, a presidential spokesman said on Sunday, confirming that all abducted pupils are now free. “Another 130 abducted Niger State pupils released, none left in captivity,” spokesman Sunday Dare said in a post on X, accompanied by a photograph showing the smiling children. The spokesman did not provide details on the circumstances surrounding their release. The students were taken in November when armed bandits stormed St. Mary’s Private Catholic School, abducting a total of 303 children and 12 teachers, according to…

The United States and Nigeria have signed a five-year, $5.1bn health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at boosting Nigeria’s healthcare delivery, including targeted support for hundreds of faith-based health facilities in the country. Under the agreement, the US intends to provide $2.1bn in health assistance while Nigeria has pledged to invest $3bn in new domestic health spending within the same period. The combined $5.1bn commitment represents the largest co-investment made by any partner country under the America First Global Health Strategy to date, according to a statement by the US Embassy in Nigeria on Sunday. The MoU is designed…

The Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) will be held every four years from 2028, Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has announced. The tournament has taken place every two years since 1968, with a one-year gap between the 2012 and 2013 editions. But it will switch to a four-year cycle after the 2027 Afcon in East Africa and a 2028 edition. Motsepe has instead announced the creation of an African Nations League which will take place annually from 2029. “We have the most exciting new structure for African football,” Motsepe said. “I do what is in the interests of…

More than 2500 foreign prison staff, the majority of them Nigerians, who were facing deportation and possible job losses, have been temporarily spared following an emergency visa extension by the UK government. The intervention comes after changes to visa rules introduced in July put thousands of overseas prison workers at risk once their permits expired. The policy shift had raised concerns about the possible collapse of parts of the prison system, which relies heavily on foreign labour amid staffing shortages. According to Sky News, following lobbying by the prisons minister, Lord Timpson, and discussions with the Home Secretary and former justice…

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has cautioned inter-city road transport operators against arbitrary and unexplained fare increases during the ongoing yuletide travel period, following a surge in consumer complaints across several parts of the country. The Commission said it recognises that seasonal demand, operational pressures and other legitimate cost factors may affect transport pricing However, it said consumers are entitled to clear, accurate, and timely information on fares before travel, noting that any fare adjustment must therefore be transparently communicated and applied fairly. The FCCPC also noted that these complaints are arising at a time when there…

President Bola Tinubu has cautioned governors that he may be forced to issue an executive order to enforce direct allocations to local governments if they fail to comply with the Supreme Court ruling affirming financial autonomy for Nigeria’s third tier of government. Tinubu gave the warning during the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on Friday. Addressing the NEC members, comprising governors, National Working Committee members, and other party leaders, Tinubu said, “The Supreme Court has capped it for you again, saying give them their money directly. “If…

The Nigerian Air Force C-130 crew, earlier detained in Burkina Faso and released yesterday, has continued its mission from the country to Portugal with the same aircraft. Recall that the crew, comprising 11 Nigerian personnel on a mission to Portugal for scheduled aircraft maintenance, made an emergency landing in Burkina Faso which was described as a precautionary measure following a technical issue with the aircraft. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa while speaking with journalists stated that that the plane and the crew are scheduled to continue to Portugal for maintenance, as planned before the incident.…

President Bola Tinubu says bandits, violent cult groups, kidnappers, foreign-linked mercenaries, and other armed non-state actors will be treated as terrorists under a new security framework to be rolled out by his administration. Tinubu said this on Friday when he presented the budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, stating that his government will go after enablers and not just perpetrators of crimes. “Under this new architecture, any armed group or gun-wielding non-state actors operating outside state authority will be regarded as terrorists,” the former Lagos State governor told the gathering at…