Author: Vardiafrica

The Management of Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), under the leadership of its Managing Director/CEO, Mr Akintunde Sawyerr has expressed its pleasure as it receives an additional N50 billion from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).The release follows the directive of President Bola Tinubu in his speech on 4th August, 2024, directing the EFCC to transfer the funds to NELFUND to further boost the student loan program. This significant injection of funds represents a major milestone in the Administration’s commitment to bolstering access to education by providing financial support to students across Nigeria. The fund extends its deepest appreciation…

President Bola Tinubu has urged the Nigerian Armed Forces to stay alert and take proactive measures in tackling regional security challenges. He delivered this message during the Graduation Ceremony of Course 32 at the Nigerian Defence College in Abuja. Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, President Tinubu said his administration is determined to make Nigeria safe for investment and economic prosperity. He emphasised the need for strategic leadership to address the mirage of security challenges in the country. A total of 111 participants took part in the course, with 19 foreign participants. Addressing the participants, the VP urged them to…

President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja after a trip to France on a brief work visit. The President, who arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the early hours of Friday, left for France on Monday. President Tinubu who had cut short his to France, is scheduled to swear in the new Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun this morning at the Council Chambers in the state House. Justice Kekere-Ekun will succeed Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who bowed out on Thursday after clocking the retirement age of 70 years.

Thailand has announced its first confirmed case of a new, potentially deadlier strain of Mpox – the first in Asia, and second outside of Africa. According to Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, the infected 66-year-old European man arrived in Bangkok from an unnamed African country on 14 August. He began displaying symptoms the next day, and immediately went to hospital. It has since been confirmed he had contracted Mpox, and in particular the strain known as Clade 1b. This strain has driven an outbreak of Mpox – previously known as monkeypox – which has already killed at least 450 people…

Olukayode Ariwoola has retired from his position as the chief justice of Nigeria (CJN) after attaining the age of 70. A valedictory session was held in his honour on Thursday at the supreme court premises in Abuja. Ariwoola, who earned his bachelor of law degree with honours from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in July 1980, was called to the bar a year later and enrolled as a solicitor at the supreme court of Nigeria. His judicial career saw him serving as a judge of the Oyo state high court before his elevation to the court of…

The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010 and its astonishing success in resetting oil and gas industry spending and in-country capacity development was the fulcrum of a presentation by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, in Windhoek, Namibia, on Wednesday. Speaking on the theme “Local Content and Sustainable Inclusive Economic Growth” at the 2024 Namibia Oil and Gas Conference, Engr. Ogbe noted that recent discoveries of hydrocarbon deposits have increased the oil and gas reserves of the continent to about 126 billion barrels of oil and…

Flooding has cut off the Azare-Ja’amare road along the Kano-Maiduguri Highway in Bauchi State.  Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who inspected the affected area, said he has reported the situation to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, who had visited last week when the road was initially threatened. Mohammed also warned that communities are at risk of being submerged if the flow of water is not managed effectively. The incident occurred barely two weeks after downpour severely damaged a federal highway connecting Kano to Maiduguri, particularly between the Malori and Guskuri villages in the Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi State. The…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has hinted on plans to revive the State’s Neighbourhood Watch, a community-based security outfit set up by the immediate past administration. Governor Fubara spoke on the consideration of reviving the security outfit when he met with its leaders behind closed doors at Government House in Port Harcourt on Tuesday night. Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the Head of Command, Rivers State Neighbourhood Watch, Wogbo Lawrence, expressed satisfaction with the assurances given by the governor after six years of neglect. He explained that despite the lack of remuneration, the security outfit had struggled independently to sustain…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized three petrol tankers loaded with soy oil in Lagos State, raising alarms over potential public health risks. According to credible information received by NAFDAC, the same vehicles used to load vegetable oil were also being used to transport petroleum products. On getting to the location for surveillance operation, the organization discovered the tankers had conflicting labels indicating the transport of water and beverages at the same time marked as carrying petrol and diesel which has now drawn significant attention to the possible dangers of chemical contamination in…

The Federal Government has increased the fees for the procurement of Nigerian Passport with effect from the 1st of September 2024. A statement by the spokesman of the Nigeria Immigration Service, DCI Kenneth Udo, says the increment is a part of the government’s efforts to maintain the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Standard Passport. He said that based on the review, a 32-page Passport booklet with 5-year validity previously charged at Thirty-five Thousand Naira (N35,000.00) will now be Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000.00) only; while a 64-page Passport booklet with 10-year validity which was Seventy Thousand Naira (N70,000.00) will be…