Author: Vardiafrica

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hosted Anambra State Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. The meeting comes three months after President Tinubu’s May 8 visit to Anambra State, during which he commissioned several projects executed by Governor Soludo, including the new Anambra State Government House and the Solution Fun City. While details of Tuesday’s discussions were not disclosed, the engagement is seen as significant ahead of the November 8, 2025 governorship election, in which Governor Soludo is seeking re-election as the flagbearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has urged passengers aboard Ibom Air flight IAN513 from Uyo to Lagos last Sunday to come forward with firsthand accounts to support the ongoing investigation. In a statement posted on his official X account on Tuesday, NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mike Achimugu, asked passengers who witnessed the incident to contact him via direct message or email at michael.achimugu@ncaa.gov.ng. He emphasized that only verified passengers would be engaged to ensure a fair and balanced investigation. Achimugu acknowledged the unruly behavior during the flight but underscored the authority’s commitment to holding accountable everyone…

The US and China have extended their trade truce for another 90 days, just hours before the world’s two biggest economies were set to raise tariffs on imports of each other’s goods. On Monday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep the pause in place until 10 November, while Beijing also announced an extension. It means the US will hold its levy on Chinese imports at 30%, while China will keep a 10% tariff on American goods. Washington had threatened trade taxes as high as 145% on Chinese products earlier this year, with Beijing hitting back with 125% duties…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has issued a firm warning to Nigerian tertiary institutions that have failed to submit their matriculation lists for the 2022 and 2023 admission sessions, stating that such institutions will not have their admissions approved for the 2024 and 2025 exercises. Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, delivered the directive during a meeting with Admissions Desk Officers, highlighting that some institutions have not forwarded any matriculation list in the past three academic sessions. He described this persistent non-compliance as both “absurd and unacceptable,” stressing that it undermines the credibility of the nation’s admissions process.…

Former Sokoto State governor Aminu Tambuwal is in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged fraudulent cash withdrawals amounting to N189 billion. The transactions are said to be in breach of the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022. Tambuwal reportedly arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, August 11, where he is being questioned by investigators. A senior EFCC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Vanguard that the former governor is being interrogated over suspicious financial activities during his tenure, involving alleged unauthorised withdrawals of public funds. “The…

Federal Government has launched the Youth Credit Initiative, otherwise known as ‘YouthCred’, as a component of the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) targeted at empowering youth-entrepreneurs particularly members of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC). Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who launched the programme at the NYSC orientation camp in Abuja, pledged that the Ministry of Youth Development would expand the programme beyond NYSC members to reach the informal sector and underserved communities The Minister described the YouthCred programme as a veritable platform designed by the federal government to provide a single-digit interest loan for youths who desire to…

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has approved a further extension of the grace period for enforcing the Tinted Glass Permit requirement for vehicles with tinted windows, moving the new enforcement date to October 2, 2025. Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Muyiwa Adejobi, announced the extension in a statement, noting that the decision was prompted by a surge in applications on the official portal. “This decision follows a significant increase in applications via the official platform, showing heightened public compliance. The extra time will allow thorough scrutiny of each application to ensure permits go only to qualified…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday said that it intercepted 16 containers of hard drugs, arms, ammunition, expired pharmaceuticals, frozen poultry products, and counterfeit goods smuggled worth over N10 billion at Apapa port. The NCS said five suspects have been arrested in connection with the seizures, three already charged and remanded at Ikoyi Prison, while two are on administrative bail pending trial. The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi stated this while displaying the seized containers and its contents to journalists at the APM Terminals Examination Bay in Apapa port. According to him, the interception followed a series of…

The World Bank has approved $300 million to fund a new project aimed at improving access to services and economic opportunities for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their host communities in northern Nigeria. In a statement on Monday, the Washington-based organisation said the Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project (SOLID) was approved on August 7. World Bank said the project will adopt an integrated development strategy to help displaced persons and host communities transition from humanitarian aid to self-reliance and resilience. According to the World Bank, ongoing conflict and insecurity in the region have displaced more than…

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on retaining its Maturity Level 3 (ML3) status from World Health Organisation (WHO) for regulation of medicines and vaccines.‎‎The commendation is in a statement issued by Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Monday in Abuja.‎‎The WHO conducted a re-benchmarking exercise from May 28 to 30, assessing NAFDAC’s performance against global regulatory standards.‎‎NAFDAC first attained ML3 status in 2022, becoming the first African National Regulatory Authority to achieve this for medicines and vaccines (non-producing).‎‎In line with WHO protocols, the revalidation involved periodic reviews to confirm…