Author: Vardiafrica

France on Tuesday called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Niger’s ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, almost a year after he was overthrown in a coup. Bazoum has “been held prisoner for a year in scandalous conditions”, foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said. “We have always condemned this detention, we still strongly condemn it and continue to call for his immediate and unconditional release,” he told reporters in Paris. France is concerned about a decision to lift Bazoum’s immunity from prosecution “which could have consequences for the conditions in which he is detained”, Lemoine added. Elected in 2021, Bazoum was…

President Bola Tinubu is set to commission the newly built Nigeria Police National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja. A statement on Tuesday via X, signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Tuesday, said the facility will be commissioned on Wednesday.

The Nigeria Senate has approved the bill to increase the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, effectively making it a law. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the approval following the third reading of the bill during a plenary session in Abuja on Tuesday. The bill, which was proposed by President Bola Tinubu after meeting with the heads of organized labour last week, also included a reduction of the review timeline of the minimum wage from 5 years to 3 years. Speaking at the plenary session on Tuesday, Akpabio read out the intent of the bill and ruled for…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), which measures interest rates by 50 basis points, from 26.25% to 26.75% amid soaring inflation and skyrocketing food prices. CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, announced this after the apex bank’s 296th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday. The MPC adjusted the asymmetric corridor around the MPR from +100 to -300 to +500 to -100 basis points. The MPC also retained the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of deposit money banks at 45% and merchant banks at 14% and retained the Liquidity Ratio at 30%. Cardoso…

The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Mele Kyari, has categorically denied that the oil company owned a blending plant in Malta. The refuttal came in response to claims made by businessman Aliko Dangote that NNPCL officials were operating an oil facility on the Mediterranean Island. Dangote, while addressing the leadership of the House of Representatives on July 22, claimed that apart from NNPC personnel, oil traders and terminals have established a blending plant in Malta. An oil blending plant, unlike a refinery, blends re-refined oil with additives to produce finished lubricant…

The National Assembly on Tuesday passed the Police Act Amendment Bill to enable a person appointed to the office of Inspector General of Police (IGP) to remain in office until the end of the term stipulated in the letter of appointment. President Bola Tinubu forwarded the Bill to the House of Representatives and Senate on Tuesday to amend the tenure of the IGP. The Bill for an Act to amend the Nigeria Police Act 2020 sought to guarantee the tenure of the IGP and revolutionise police operations by enhancing accountability, modernising policing methods and fostering a more harmonious relationship between…

Fifty-eight of the 164 member states of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) members have voiced support for a proposal from the African Group backing incumbent Director General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to serve a second term. The 58 member countries of the trade association made this known at a July 22 meeting of the WTO General Council, according to a statement by the world trade body. “The African Group requests that the current Director-General make herself available to serve a second term, and has proposed that the process of reappointing the Director-General should be started as soon as possible,” the statement partly…

The Court of Appeal Abuja, has declined to nullify the primary election that produced Asue Ighodalo as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the impending governorship election in Edo State. In a unanimous decision by a three-man panel, the appellate court dismissed an appeal that was filed by the embattled Deputy Governor of the state, Philip Shaibu. While dismissing the appeal l for lacking in merit, the court said it found no reason to set aside the May 27 judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which refused to invalidate the governorship primary election the PDP conducted…

Dangote and Nigeria’s regulatory authorities have been in dispute in recent weeks over the refinery located in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State. It reached a new high when the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) said the government was yet to license the refinery for the commencement of operations. But as part of moves to resolve the issues, Lokpobiri and other players in the oil and gas sector met with Dangote on Monday. In a statement by the Special Adviser Media and Communication to the minister Nneamaka Okafor, those who attended the meeting include the Authority Chief…

Kimberly Cheatle, director of the US Secret Service, says the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was the agency’s “most significant operational failure” in decades. Cheatle spoke during a congressional hearing on Monday, adding that she takes full responsibility for the agency’s oversight. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had identified the gunman who opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks. One audience member was killed, and three people, including Trump, were injured James Comer, the oversight committee chairman, said the assassination attempt questioned Cheatle’s competence and asked her to resign.…