Author: Vardiafrica

The Acting Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede has paid a condolence visit to Mrs Mariya Lagbaja, the widow of the late army chief, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja. Lagbaja passed away on Tuesday night in Lagos after a brief illness. He was 56 years old. A day after his death, Oluyede led a delegation of top military brass to commiserate with the Lagbaja family. This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the Director Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu. He said Oluyede was accompanied on the visit to the Flag Staff House, Niger Barracks…

Ali Pate, minister of health and social welfare, says cesarean sections (C-sections) will now be provided free of charge to women across the country. Pate made the announcement in Abuja on Thursday at the launch of the maternal mortality reduction initiative (MAMII) during the ongoing joint annual review (JAR) of the sector wide approach (SWAp) for health. He said the move is part of the government’s push to tackle Nigeria’s maternal and neonatal mortality rates, which rank among the highest globally. The initiative aims to improve access to quality healthcare for mothers and newborns, with a particular focus on primary…

The national grid has collapsed for the second time in 72 hours, leaving Nigerians in total blackout. Data obtained from the Nigerian system operator’s portal showed that the grid recorded zero megawatts (MW) as of Thursday. The generation power dropped from 3,743MW at 10am to 2,709MW at 11am. As of noon, the grid only recorded 3.70MW and 4.10MW at 1pm. The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) is yet to confirm the incident at the time of the report. However, on its social media platform, Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) said it is experiencing a system outage affecting its supply. “Please…

Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) have announced revised prices for various electricity meter models, marking the second price hike in four months. According to the DisCos, the cost of a single-phase meter has risen from approximately N117,000 to as much as N149,800, depending on the distribution company and meter vendor. The new prices, scheduled to take effect on Tuesday, reflect the deregulation of Meter Asset Providers (MAP) as directed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). This upward revision follows an earlier increase in August 2024, further amplifying concerns among electricity consumers about affordability and accessibility. The meter prices vary across…

Police personnel are to wear a black band for seven days in honour of the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja.  The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun gave the directive in a statement signed by the Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi. “Following the demise of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM, has ordered officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force to wear black band throughout the 7 day mourning period,” the Thursday statement read. “This directive is to pay tribute…

The Malaysian government has announced plans to phase out the use of compressed natural gas in motor vehicles by July 1, 2025, due to safety concerns. Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the decision, based on discussions in the Cabinet meeting on Oct 2, considers the potential hazards NGV-powered vehicles pose due to ageing NGV tanks, which are nearing the end of their safe usage life. “These NGV tanks have a safe usage lifespan of approximately 15 years, and if they are not replaced, they become unsafe to use and may fail at any time,” he said at a press…

As part of the strategies to increase Nigeria’s crude oil production and enhance revenue accruing to the national treasury, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has advocated for a week in each year to be dedicated to signing final investment decisions (FIDs) on new oil and gas projects. The Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe made the proposal on Tuesday in his presentation at the 2024 African Energy Week (AEW), holding at Cape Town, South Africa. A final investment decision is the final point in an energy project, in which the company or partners owning and operating…

Kamala Harris called President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday to concede the election and congratulate him on his victory, according to a senior adviser to the vice president. The aide, who declines to be identified discussing a private conversation, says Harris talked about the need for a peaceful transfer of power. Harris, once viewed as a potential savior for the Democratic Party after Joe Biden’s reelection campaign stalled, is reckoning with a profound rejection by American voters in this year’s presidential election. She trailed in every battleground state to Donald Trump, a man she described as an existential danger to the…

President Bola Tinubu has announced the passing of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, at age 56. According to a statement released by the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday, Lagbaja passed away on Tuesday night in Lagos after a period of illness. He, however, did not disclose the illness. President Tinubu expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and the Nigerian Armed Forces during this difficult time. He wished Lt. General Lagbaja eternal peace and honours his significant contributions to the nation. Lagbaja becomes the second Chief of Army Staff to die in office in…

The World Bank has approved $50m in support of Nigeria’s food nutrition challenges. Country Director of the World Bank, Ndiame Diop revealed this during a meeting with Vice President, Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa Abuja on Tuesday. According to Diop, the fund was earmarked under the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria (ANRiN) project 2.0 programme which is a crisis response window. Also, Practice Manager for Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank, Trina Haque said there was a need for nutrition education for children and adolescents as it is important for early child development. While speaking during the…