Author: Vardiafrica

Ahead of the planned nationwide protest, the Minister of Education Tahir Mamman has directed vice-chancellors of universities to take proactive steps to ensure the security and safety of the university community, including staff and students. A Monday statement by the acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Chris Maiyaki asked vice-chancellors to issue specific statements to assure staff and students of their safety. “Consequently, the Honourable Minister has directed that Vice-Chancellors of all Nigerian Universities should take proactive steps to ensure the security and safety of the university community, including staff and students,” the statement read. “In addition,…

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has assured Nigerian oil and gas service companies of continued support to sustain the impressive growth in local content and to boost their production operations. Speaking during a facility tour of the 10,000-square-metre fabrication yard of Lee Engineering and Construction Company Limited, Warri, Delta State on Friday, he recalled similar visits he had made to other service companies across the country, stating that he was highly impressed with facilities and competencies acquired in the pursuit of local content development. Amazed at the assortment of top-grade engineering…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has unveiled plans to create a dedicated office to manage dormant accounts and unclaimed balances. This was contained in a recently issued document, “FAQs – Guidelines on Dormant Account and Unclaimed Balances –issued by the apex bank. It would be recalled that the CBN earlier disclosed that it may invest funds from Dormant Accounts, unclaimed balances in Nigerian Treasury Bills (NTBs) and other government securities. To this effect, the apex bank disclosed plans to create the office to oversee the management of the funds. “The CBN shall establish a dedicated office for this purpose.…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has confirmed fuel supply and distribution challenges in some parts of Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) but promised to work on restoring normalcy. “The NNPC Ltd. wishes to state that the tightness in fuel supply and distribution witnessed in some parts of Lagos and the FCT is as a result of a hitch in the discharge operations of a couple of vessels,” the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL Olufemi Soneye said in a Saturday statement. “The Company further states that it is working round the clock with all stakeholders…

The senator representing Anambra South in the National Assembly, Ifeanyi Ubah, is dead. Senator Ubah was said to have departed Nigeria for the UK two days ago. A close family source said he died in a UK hospital where he went for surgery. He would have been 53 on September 3. Ubah had defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) last year. He was later re-elected to the 10th Senate under the Young Progressive Party (YPP). The late Senator was billed to seek APC’s ticket ahead of the Anambra State governorship election. A…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is currently holding ward congresses in the various wards of Rivers states, against court orders. This is coming despite two court orders stopping the exercise. At the PDP Secretariat along Aba Road in Port Harcourt, various members of the party were observed collecting materials for the congress in their various wards. They left for their various councils after taking possession of the materials. It would be recalled that Justice Charles Wali on Friday, prohibited the party, its National Chairman Iliya Damagum, and National Secretary Senator Samuel Anyanwu, or their agents, from gathering anywhere in Rivers…

Former US president Donald Trump claimed Friday, July 26 that conflicts in the Middle East could escalate into a third World War if he loses the 2024 election.The Republican nominee for president made those remarks as he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort home Netanyahu traveled to Florida to meet with Trump after meeting with Uas President Biden and presumptive Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in Washington, D.C., earlier this week, following his Wednesday address to a joint session of Congress At Mar-a-Lago, Trump told reporters that Harris is “worse” on Middle East issues…

An airport located at the Swiss-French border was evacuated due to a bomb alert, the French police said. The airport was evacuated hours after a ‘massive, coordinated arson attack’ disrupted France’s rail network ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. Basel-Mulhouse airport’s terminals were evacuated on Friday morning and all flights had been suspended. ‘For safety reasons, the terminal had to be evacuated and is currently closed,’ the Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport had said on its website. But now the airport’s site says that it has ‘reopened and all flight operations are gradually restarting’. This comes after fires were started at France’s key…

Donald Trump has criticised FBI Director Christopher Wray after Wray’s Congressional hearing. About the assassination attempt on the former US president on July 13, Wray said he was uncertain if it was a bullet or a shrapnel that hit Trump in the ear during an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania. It was Trump who appointed Wray as FBI director in 2017. The Republican candidate has now blasted Wray by saying that the FBI director is uncertain whether Trump was hit by shrapnel, glass or a bullet but was certain “Crooked Joe Biden was physically and cognitively ‘uneventful'”. Trump accused Wray of being unaware of…

Ahead of the planned nationwide protest slated to start August 1, police authorities are requesting the details of the demonstrators. While briefing journalists in Abuja on Friday, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, specifically asked all groups planning to participate in the demonstrations to submit their details to the commissioners of police in their respective states. The reason he gave was that the protest was peaceful. “We acknowledge the constitutional right of Nigerian citizens to peaceful assembly and protest,” the police boss said. “However, in the interest of public safety and order, we urge all groups planning to…