Author: Vardiafrica

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says he will not leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) due to the internal crisis in the party. Wike spoke on Wednesday during a media parley organised to commemorate his one year in office as FCT minister. Since his appointment by President Bola Tinubu, there have been rumours that the former Rivers governor is no longer a member of the PDP. Recently, Edwin Clark, leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), said Wike needs to leave PDP for the party to survive. In an open letter to Umar Damagum, the acting national…

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says the on-street parking scheme, popularly called park and pay, is illegal. In an interview on Wednesday to mark his one year in office, Wike said the agreement with contractors managing the scheme was marred by fraud. Wike said: “A friend of mine, a senior advocate, called me and said: ‘Sir, people came to our office now trying to hijack all our cars. They said they are from the transport secretariat’. I said, what is that? Give the person the phone. I said who are you and he said from park…

Ghana has officially commenced the construction of a state-of-the-art oil refinery with a capacity of 300,000 barrels per day (bpd), aiming to establish itself as the petroleum hub of West Africa. The announcement was made by Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday, August 19, 2024. Since becoming an oil producer in 2010, Ghana, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, has steadily increased its oil output, which currently stands at approximately 132,000 bpd of crude oil and 325 million standard cubic feet per day of natural gas. “This project promises to be a cornerstone of our nation’s development,” President Akufo-Addo stated during…

Gabon’s Interim President, Gen Oligui Nguema, who came to power through a coup last year, has introduced new measures restricting government officials’ travel and vacation time. The regulations, announced on state television, prohibit members of the transitional government from taking holidays abroad and limit officials to a maximum of one week’s leave, BBC reports. This move follows Gen Nguema’s nationwide tour to engage with citizens and address their concerns. Observers speculate that these actions may be a precursor to his potential candidacy in next year’s presidential election, the first since he took power. Gen Nguema seized power from his cousin…

In a significant move to uphold local government autonomy, the Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-member committee tasked with enforcing the recent Supreme Court ruling that grants financial independence to local governments across Nigeria. The Supreme Court’s decision, delivered on July 11, declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds meant for local government administrations. This ruling aims to ensure that local governments can operate independently and fulfil their roles effectively without undue interference from state governments. Five weeks after the ruling, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has established an…

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority has granted an operational licence to Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited, located in Ologbo within the Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State. The NMDPRA serves as the technical and commercial regulator overseeing midstream and downstream activities in the petroleum sector. The issuance of this operational licence represents the final approval stage from the regulatory body, signifying that the refinery is now authorized to commence full operations. During a ceremony held on Tuesday, the authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Ahmed Farouk, presented the certificate to AIPCC, the parent organization of Edo Refinery…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara on Tuesday received the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), BoT members in a move to put to rest months of speculations that he had left the party. Senator Adolphus Wabara, the chairman of the Board of Trade, Abdul Ningi, former chairman Ahmed Makarfi, and senior statesman Olabode George were among the delegation members. Although there have been demands for Governor Fubara to defect to the APC, supporters maintain that there is little possibility the state’s most important citizen would be reelected if he stays in office. The governor has however remained mute on his next line…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Tuesday, affirmed the lower court judgment that reinstated Philip Shaibu as the Deputy Governor of Edo State. The appellate Court while delivering judgment in the appeal brought before it by the Edo State House of Assembly, dismissed the appeal seeking to uphold Shaibu’s impeachment. Shaibu was impeached on April 8, 2024, following the adoption of the report of a seven-man committee set up by the chief judge of Edo State Justice Daniel Okungbowa to investigate allegations of misconduct against him. The House Majority Leader, Charity Aiguobarueghian, had said that while the report…

The court of appeal in Abuja has ordered Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi state, to present himself for arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The court overturned the decision of a Kogi state high court that restrained the EFCC from prosecuting Bello over the allegation of N80 billion money laundering. In a unanimous decision delivered on Tuesday, a three-member panel of the appellate court led by Ken Amadi also restrained the former governor from taking any further action regarding the charges against him until he has been formally arraigned. The appeal was filed by the EFCC…

The leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has accused the Federal Government of harassing its leaders and has put its members and affiliates on red alert, threatening a nationwide strike should the Nigerian Police Force detain its president, Joe Ajaero. The resolution was announced by the deputy president of the union, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju after an emergency meeting of the group’s National Executive Council on Tuesday. A crowd of unionists were seen gathered at the headquarters of the NLC in Abuja as the meeting was being held, singing solidarity songs. The unionists said the strike would begin on Tuesday…