Author: Vardiafrica

Guinea’s military junta chief General Mamady Doumbouya has banned ministers from traveling abroad without his permission and recalled all those currently out of the country, his office announced. The statement, issued on Thursday, is effective immediately and until the end of the year, the government’s general secretary said. “On the instructions of the president”, read the statement, “it is required of all ministers on mission abroad to finish up and return to national territory”. Several ministers are currently abroad. Government spokesman Ousmane Gaoual Diallo said the decision was made to cut back on public spending. The measure “reinforces government efficacy…

If you’re too lazy to go to the grocery store — or open the front door for your Instacart delivery — Elon Musk has the solution for you. Musk on Thursday night unveiled the Tesla Optimus Robot, the company’s new 5’8″ robot that can be, what Musk called, “your own personal R2D2 [or] C-3PO.” The Tesla boss gave a preview of the bot, which the company plans on selling in 2026, at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA. “What can it do? It can basically do anything you want,” Musk said. “It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, it…

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has refused the fresh bail application of the detained Binance Holdings Executive, Tigran Gambaryan. In his ruling on the motion for bail on medical grounds, Justice Nwite rejected the request, noting that renowned Nigerian medical experts were already managing his health. The Judge, however, ordered the Nigerian Correctional Service to refer Gambaryan to a standard hospital in Abuja for treatment for three days to two weeks under security supervision. He subsequently adjourned the case to October 18, November 22 and 25, for the continuation of trial. Counsel to Gambaryan, Mark…

 The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, has rejected the request by the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for Justice Binta Nyako’s recusal from his case. Justice Tsoho returned Nnamdi Kanu’s case file to her to handle, saying two other judges were previously recused from the case. Justice Tsoho stated that Kanu’s case was reassigned to Justice Nyako due to its prolonged nature, dating back to 2015. Given that Justice Nyako had handled the case for the most part, she was deemed the most suitable judge to…

The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Abubakar, has called on Niger Delta communities to provide crucial intelligence to aid the military’s efforts in dismantling illegal refineries. The Minister made the call while speaking to journalists during an operational visit to the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army on Friday. He stressed that local cooperation is vital to shutting down illegal operations and boosting Nigeria’s oil production, which currently stands at 1.6 million barrels per day. Abubakar highlighted the need for local residents to assist the military by sharing intelligence on illegal refineries, as this is essential to restoring oil production to…

The Federal Government, on Friday, announced the authorization to independent petroleum marketers to directly obtain petrol from the Dangote refinery, owned by Nigerian billionaire business tycoon, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. In a press statement issued by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun , the federal government said marketers will no longer need to go through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to buy petrol from Dangote Refinery. Edun, who is also the Chairman of the Naira-crude sale implementation committee, also confirmed that the NNPCL is no longer the sole off-taker of the Dangote fuel.…

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a restraining order preventing the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Damagum from his role as Acting National Chairman. In a judgement delivered today October 11, the court ruled that until the PDP’s national convention scheduled for December next year holds, Damagum remains the only individual recognized as the party’s national chairman. The order was delivered in response to a suit filed by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina against the PDP NEC, BoT, and others. Justice Lifu…

The federal government said that with the new curriculum set to roll out for Basic and Senior Secondary Education in Nigeria, every student must graduate with at least two skills. The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, stated this, noting that the new curriculum is designed to incorporate knowledge, skills, and values at Basic and Senior Secondary Education levels. He made this statement at the 68th National Council on Education (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Thursday, themed “Innovation, Digital Technology Entrepreneurship: Tools for Educational and National Development in the 21st Century.” The new curriculum focuses on skills, enabling students to connect with…

Abuja the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria set to host the Second Edition of the African Entrepreneurs and Investors Roundtable as African Governments, Policy Makers, Entrepreneurs and Investors are ready to converge with the aim of promoting investment opportunities in Africa and Bridging the gap between entrepreneurs and investors in order to promote economic development in the continent. The Theme of AFEIR2024 is “Harnessing global opportunities in advancing investment and Entrepreneurship in Africa” which is centered on driving entrepreneurship and investment in Africa. AFEIR 2024 is a remarkable brainchild of VARDIAFRICA. It is an annual event designed to promote human…

The Rivers State Government has insisted that the Appeal Court judgment in Abuja on Thursday, October 10, did not reinstate the Martin Amaewhule-led faction of the State House of Assembly. In a statement signed by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, the state government clarified that Amaewhule and 26 others had defected on December 11, 2023and that their seats became automatically vacant from the day they announced their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) The Attorney General insisted that the issue of the defection of Amaewhule and 26…