Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and His Highness, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, on Sunday in Doha, witnessed the signing of historic agreements between both nations, opening a gateway for leveraging the potential of mutual cooperation in pivotal sectors of education, enterprise development, investment promotion, youth empowerment, mining, tourism, and sports. This was disclosed by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Sunday He said that before the signing ceremony at the Qatar Presidential Palace, President Tinubu assured his host of Nigeria’s preparedness to welcome investors into the…

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has announced a 90-day window for regularising import duties on specific categories of vehicles.The statement reads, “In a proactive move to enhance compliance and streamline import processes, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), under the directive of the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, is pleased to announce a 90-day window for regularizing import duties on specific categories of vehicles. “This initiative applies solely to vehicles imported into Nigeria where the requisite customs duty has not been fulfilled or vehicles detained due to undervaluation. “While we strive for inclusivity, it is important…

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has debunked reports circulating in some quarters that its warehouse was looted by some hoodlums in Abuja on Sunday. NEMA spokesperson, Manzo Ezekiel, in a statement on Sunday, confirmed that the looted warehouse is not affiliated with the agency, but sympathised with the owners of the looted facility. On Sunday, some residents of Abuja raided a warehouse belonging to the Federal Capital Territory’s Department of Agriculture, looting foodstuffs and other items stored in the facility. The FCT Agric secretariat’s Public Relations Officer, Zakari Aliyu, confirmed to Channels Television via text message that the looted…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over “the failure to probe the grim allegations that $3.4 billion loan obtained by Nigeria from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to finance the budget and respond to COVID-19 is missing, diverted or unaccounted for.” The allegations are contained in the recently published 2020 Nigeria’s annual audited report by the Auditor-General of the Federation. The suit was filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare and Andrew Nwankwo What SERAP is seeking In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/269/2024 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP…

As Nigeria battles contemporary and emerging security challenges, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru, says the country will soon commence local production of arms, ammunition and other military hardware in line with the Federal Government’s commitment towards tackling insecurity in the country. The minister gave the hint on Thursday during a facility tour of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) headquarters in Kaduna State. He explained that the commitment is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s assent to the 2023 DICON Act which is aimed at local manufacturing of military hardware, noting that with the corporation’s level of hard…

The Federal Government announced on Saturday that the train services on the Port Harcourt to Aba route are expected to begin by the end of March. The announcement was made by Mr Fidet Okhiria, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), during his visit to Port Harcourt for a test run of the recently reconstructed Eastern Narrow Gauge Rail line. Okhiria highlighted that workers are in the final stages of preparing the tracks, aiming to ensure the readiness for comprehensive train operations within the coming month. He shared his optimism about the contractor finishing the track ‘tampering’ process…

Worried by the worsening power supply, the federal government plans to query non-performing power distribution companies. The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who summoned the Chief Executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), talked tough about the deteriorating electricity supply. “Wilful non- performance by any DISCO could suffice as a reason for severe punishment or outright license revocation,” Adelabu was quoted as saying in a Saturday statement by his media aide, Bolaji Tunji. He said Adelabu is to meet with the discos next week, adding that the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of…

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has responded to a dig by President Bola Tinubu where he told the labour unions to stop their protests and wait for 2027 to join the political process. The President at the inauguration of the Lagos Red Line project on Thursday maintain peace as they are not the only voice for Nigerians. But reacting to the President’s remarks on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, the President of the TUC, Festus Osifo, said members of his union are not politicians and that they have the right to protest. “I listened to that comment yesterday where he said…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has told President Bola Tinubu that members of the union are not interested in any political position including his office The President during the inauguration of the Lagos Red Line Project on Thursday, threw a jibe at the Labour unions, telling them to stop their protests and maintain peace as they are not the only voice for Nigerians. He told the Labour unions to wait for 2027 if they want to participate in the electoral process. But responding in a statement on Friday, the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said they are not interested in Tinubu’s…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the licenses of 4,173 Bureaux De Change Operators, accusing the affected institutions of failing to observe regulatory provisions. This was disclosed in a statement on Friday by the bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Sidi Ali Hakama. According to the apex bank, the move is part of efforts to restore confidence in the nation’s foreign exchange market. Noting that the list of affected BDC operators is available on its website, the CBN said it is revising the regulatory and supervisory guidelines for Bureau de Change operations in Nigeria, adding that compliance with the…