Author: Vardiafrica

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has asked the National Assembly (NASS) to enact a law which supports the whistle-blower policy of the government. Olukoyede made this call on Tuesday at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference in Lagos which had the theme, ‘Lawyers in the spotlight: Essential anti-money laundering considerations for the legal profession’. He noted that once the law is enacted, it will make it mandatory for law enforcement agencies to protect the whistle-blowers. The EFCC chairman also called on lawyers across the country to always observe due diligence in their practices.…

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming September 21, 2024 governorship election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, says he will make independent and informed decisions if elected governor of the state. Ighodalo, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, said he won’t repeat some of the mistakes of people in government, especially around managing relationships with predecessors. He assured voters in the state that he was not coming into government to serve the interest of any godfather. The forthcoming governorship election in the state has top contenders including Ighodalo, Olumide Akpata of the…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) announced on Monday that it has commenced the shipment of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cargoes to Japan and China under the Delivered Ex-Ship (DES) terms. This milestone marks a significant advancement in NNPC’s international trading operations. Delivered Ex-Ship (DES) is an international commercial term where the seller is responsible for delivering the goods to a specified port, including taking on the shipping and insurance costs until the products reach the port of delivery. This method requires a higher level of expertise and efficiency compared to the Free on Board (FOB) system, where…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi as the new Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS). Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, announced this in a statement on Monday. Ajayi replaces Yusuf Magaji Bichi who was appointed by ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 The new DSS Director-General, Mr. Adeola Ajayi, rose through the ranks to attain his current post of Assistant Director-General of the Service. He had, at various times, served as State Director in Bauchi, Enugu, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Kogi. President Tinubu expects that the new security chiefs will…

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reversed a Federal High Court ruling that had previously ordered the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to permit 381 ad-hoc delegates to participate in its February 22 primary election in Edo State. This primary election resulted in the selection of Asue Ighodalo as the party’s candidate for the September 21, 2024, governorship election in the state. A three-judge panel of the appellate court nullified the judgment issued by Justice Inyang Ekwo on July 4, 2024. The appellate court determined that the trial court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the case brought by the aggrieved delegates, as…

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has started a 7-day warning Strike across all of its centres nationwide. The resident doctors strike is to clamour for the release of its kidnapped member, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, who has been in captivity for over 8 months. NARD President, Dr Dele Abdullahi, who said this in a statement, noted that the strike will begin Monday, August 26, 2024, at 12am. Abdullahi disclosed that the decision was made during the virtual Emergency National Executive Council meeting held on Sunday, August 25, 2024. He said the warning strike will last for one week and…

The Federal Government has announced its plan to provide N3 billion in support to all states in an effort to mitigate the impact of the recent flood disaster. The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, made this disclosure while speaking with journalists at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday after inspecting flood-affected areas in Kebbi. Edun stated, “I would like to announce that the National Economic Council has proactively decided to allocate N3 billion to support all states across the federation and the FCT in mitigating the effects of flooding this year.”…

Education Minister Tahir Mamman says underage candidates will no longer be allowed to sit for secondary school leaving examinations. The minister stated this on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.He said the Federal Government has instructed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) which administers the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the National Examinations Council (NECO) which organises the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) to comply with the directive on 18 years age limit for any candidate to be eligible for the two examination Mamman also insisted that the age limit for any candidate to write the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination…

The Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged politicians in Nigeria to stop weaponising insecurity against their opposition in office. She spoke before a room filled with lawyers at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Sunday. The former Nigerian finance minister delivered a keynote address entitled, ‘A Social Contract For Nigeria’s Future’. “We cannot have socio-economic development without security. We certainly cannot have security without development,” the WTO chief said. “We all know that security has been…

The Federal Government has moved to reduce the scourge of malaria with the choice of Africa’s richest person, Aliko Dangote, astute businessman, Femi Otedola and renowned banker, Tony Elumelu to lead the fresh efforts to eliminate the menace. Speaking at the inauguration of the team in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, stated that the country currently contributes over a quarter of global malaria cases and about a third of the over 600,000 malaria deaths worldwide, mostly affecting children and pregnant women. Describing the situations as sad, the minister added that the ailment contributes…