Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Tinubu has assented to the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which provides for an aggregate expenditure of ₦68.32 trillion. He also signed the bill extending the implementation period for the 2025 budget from March 31, 2026, to June 30, 2026. This was announced on Friday in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The ₦68.32 trillion budget for this year earmarks ₦4.799 trillion for statutory transfers and ₦15.8 trillion for debt servicing It allocates ₦15.4 trillion to recurrent expenditure and ₦32.2 trillion to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure. “With capital expenditure accounting for about…

A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Apo has issued an arrest warrant against Sadiya Umar Farouq, former minister of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development. Jude Onwuegbuzie, the presiding judge, also granted an order of arrest against Bashir Nura Alkali, a permanent secretary in the ministry. The order was granted following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the defendants failed to appear in court for their scheduled arraignment on Thursday. Umar Faruoq and Alkali alongside Sani Mohammed are facing a twenty-one-count charge bordering on breach of trust, abuse of office, filed by…

Renowned African industrialist, philanthropist and Founder and President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has been named among TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2026. The remarkable recognition reaffirmed the billionaire businessman’s standing as one of the most successful and iconic business leaders of his generation. Dangote joins global influential figures from multiple sectors, including political leaders such as the United States President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, revered Pope Leo XIV, current head of the Catholic Church as well as other business and technology leaders,…

The World Athletics (WA) has ruled against Favour Ofili’s attempt to switch national allegiance from Nigeria to Turkey.  The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) announced the WA ruling in a statement on Thursday. The WA’s national review panel rejected Ofili’s application because it was part of attempts by the Turkish Athletics Federation (TAF) to “induce recruited athletes to switch nationality abruptly and primarily for mercenary reasons.” Ofili was one of eleven foreign athletes whose applications were submitted by Turkey to WA for allegiance switch. In its ruling, WA said Turkey’s recruitment process undermines the integrity of national competitions and discourages…

Britain’s King Charles III will address a joint meeting of Congress and meet privately with US President Donald Trump during his state visit to the United States later this month, Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday. Between April 27 and 30, Charles and Queen Camilla will visit Washington, DC, New York and Virginia, undertaking a variety of public engagements to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence. Their long-planned visit coincides with an unusually delicate time for the “special relationship” between the US and the UK following weeks of Trump repeatedly attacking British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government for not offering…

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has warned that airlines across the country may suspend operations from April 20, 2026, over what it describes as an “astronomical and unsustainable” rise in the price of Jet A1 fuel. In a letter dated April 14, 2026, and addressed to the Executive Secretary of the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), Mr Clement Isong, AON said the cost of aviation fuel has surged from ₦900 per litre as of February 28 to ₦3,300 per litre — an increase of over 300 per cent within weeks. According to the body, the spike is…

The World Bank Group, in partnership with multilateral development banks, development finance institutions and key partners, today launched Water Forward, a global platform to help improve water security for 1 billion people by 2030. The platform will align policy reforms, financing, and partnerships to expand reliable water services and strengthen systems against droughts and floods—essential conditions for job creation. Water underpins health, food systems, energy, and an estimated 1.7 billion jobs worldwide; yet 4 billion people experience water scarcity. In many countries, unclear policies, weak regulations, and financially unsustainable utilities have slowed progress and deterred investment in the sector. Water…

Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that Europe may have just six weeks of jet fuel left as the airline industry grapples with supply disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict. Birol spoke in an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday. He said a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger the “largest energy crisis” ever experienced. Birol said the disruption would have far-reaching implications for the global economy, warning that prolonged supply constraints could worsen inflation and slow economic growth. He added that the impact would be felt across energy markets, with higher petrol,…

Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil) Senator Heineken Lokpobiri on Tuesday performed the groundbreaking of Southfield Petroleum Limited (SPL) Utorogu 200 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) gas processing plant, with a charge to indigenous oil and gas companies to come up with bold business ideas like Southfield and to leverage the opportunities that the NCDMB provides. Speaking at the ceremony at Iwherekan, Ughelli, in Delta State, he stated that the facility, which is to process wet gas into lean gas for re-injection into the Escravos-Lagos Pipeline System in addition to key outputs as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), condensate, and autogas, would “change the entire energy landscape of this country,” and that it signalled a positive…

Key Management staff of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Seplat Energy Plc met with principal officers of the Delta State University (DELSU), at Abraka, Delta State, on Monday to deliberate on critical processes toward the take-off of a Centre of Excellence in Gas Development, approved for the institution by the Board in 2024. The project, which is the latest among similar ones at Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, and Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, is the outcome…