Author: Vardiafrica

Prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and PDP elder statesman Bode George, on Sunday, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of deliberately undermining opposition parties ahead of future elections. In a joint statement released on Sunday, also signed by ADC National Chairman David Mark, former APC National Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun, and Lawal Batagawara, the opposition called for an independent audit of federal, state, and local government accounts from 2015 to 2025, alleging that state authority is being weaponised against political opponents rather than used to combat economic crimes. The statement follows…

Founder and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, of corruption, alleging that he spent about five million dollars on secondary school education for his children in Switzerland. Dangote made the allegation on Sunday during a media briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lekki, Lagos. He described the alleged expenditure as inconsistent with the earnings of a public servant and said it raises serious concerns about transparency and integrity within regulatory institutions. According to Dangote, the alleged five million…

The Supreme Court has affirmed the constitutional power of the President to declare a state of emergency in any state to prevent a breakdown of law and order or a descent into chaos and anarchy. A split decision of six to one Justices of the apex court on Monday, December 15, 2025 upheld the President’s authority under the Constitution to proclaim a state of emergency and further held that, during such a period, the President may suspend elected officials, provided any such suspension is for a limited duration. In the lead majority judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris, the apex…

The education ministry has banned student transfer into SS3 classes across all public and private secondary schools. The directive, the ministry disclosed in a statement on Sunday, will take effect from the 2026/2027 academic year. Boriowo Folasade, the director of press and PR, said the measure is to curb the “increasing incidence of examination malpractice” that continues to undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s education system. The PRO said it was necessitated by the growing concern over the use of “so-called special centres” during external examinations. From the 2026/2027 academic session, admissions and transfers will be strictly limited to SS1 and…

Presidents and their deputies from across West Africa met Sunday in Nigeria for a regional meeting whose agenda was dominated by two recent coup attempts. A successful putsch in Guinea-Bissau in November and a foiled military takeover in Benin a week ago have rattled the regional bloc ECOWAS. The bloc was previously hit with a string of coups between 2020 and 2023 in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger — all of whom are still under junta control. “The events of the last few weeks have shown in concrete terms what regional solidarity means,” ECOWAS commission president Alieu Touray said…

Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State on Sunday received his All Progressives Congress, APC, membership card, marking his official registration with the party. The membership card was presented to the governor by the Chairman of the APC Hospital Ward in Wukari Local Government Area, Umaru Tanko, during a brief ceremony at the TY Danjuma House in Jalingo. Speaking after receiving the card, Kefas said his registration in the APC had officially validated his status as a member of the party, thereby enabling him to participate fully in all party activities. He disclosed that the official defection ceremony, which was earlier…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says Abubakar Malami, former attorney-general of the federation, is yet to meet his bail requirements. The EFCC was responding to Malami’s claim that his bail was revoked because of his attendance at a political gathering in Kebbi state. Malami is being probed for 18 alleged offences, including money laundering, abuse of office, and terrorism financing. In a statement on Friday, Mohammed Bello Doka, his special assistant on media, had said the former AGF did not default on any bail requirements. “For the avoidance of doubt, Abubakar Malami, SAN did not default on any bail condition.…

Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the presidential fiscal policy and tax reforms committee, says the tax reform laws will mandate commercial banks to report accounts with N25 million quarterly turnover to the tax agency. Speaking on Friday during a media parley on the tax reform laws, Oyedele said the tax reforms increased the reporting threshold from N10 million to N25 million. “What this one has done is that it has raised the threshold for reporting your bank account. I think it was N10 million before, but it is now N25 million, which translates to N100 million,” he said. He said on…

Yakubu Gowon, the former head of state, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo were among dignitaries present at the 2025 service of nine lessons and carols held at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. The annual Christmas service, held on Friday and hosted by First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, was themed ‘Emmanuel: God With Us’. Obasanjo, who has not attended a state function in Aso Rock since President Bola Tinubu assumed office, read the second lesson from Genesis, which focused on obedience and divine blessing. Gowon had delivered the first lesson, setting the tone for the service with a reading centred on accountability…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed all acquirers, processors, and Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs) to implement dual connectivity for point of sale (PoS) transactions within one month, as part of efforts to strengthen transaction reliability and reduce service disruptions. In a circular dated December 11, 2025, signed by Rakiya Yusuf, the CBN’s director of the payments system supervision department, the apex bank stated: “Mandatory Dual Connectivity –All Acquirers, Processors, and Payment Terminal Service Providers (PTSPs) shall establish and maintain active connectivity with both licensed Payments Terminal Service Aggregators (PTSAs), namely the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and Unified…