Author: Vardiafrica

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed a total fine of $100,000 on the Algerian Football Federation following disciplinary breaches during their quarter-final clash with Nigeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, BSNSports.com.ng reports. Super Eagles emerged victorious in the keenly contested encounter, a result that sparked unrest from the Algerian camp after the final whistle. CAF’s Disciplinary Board found Algeria guilty of several violations, including misconduct by players and officials, as well as crowd-related offences. According to the breakdown released by CAF, the sanctions include: $5,000 for players’ misconduct that led to multiple bookings $25,000 for the…

The Nigerian Government, reaffirming its commitment to free technical education and skills development, has announced the commencement of applications for admission into tuition-free Federal Technical Colleges across the country, aimed at enhancing skills development. The announcement was made by the Federal Ministry of Education following the approval of the initiative by the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa. A statement by the Director of Press of the ministry, Boriowo Folashade, noted that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s broader strategy to expand access to quality technical and vocational education and to equip young Nigerians with practical, employable and…

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC, has commenced a phased implementation of enforcement measures in respect of Digital Money Lending, DML, operators. A statement released on Wednesday by its spokesperson, Ondaje Ijagwu, said the enforcement is targeted at those who did not regularise their status in accordance with the Digital, Electronic, Online and Non-Traditional Consumer Lending Regulations, 2025 (DEON Regulations). The Commission had fixed Monday, 5 January 2026, as the deadline for compliance. Speaking on the commencement of enforcement measures, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, stated that the actions…

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has criticised security agencies over their response to the recent abduction of worshippers in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja and signed by its President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, CAN expressed concern over what it described as poor public communication by the security agencies. The association said the early response lacked sensitivity and thoroughness, noting that dismissing reports of the incident before proper verification caused confusion and further eroded public confidence in the authorities. CAN’s reaction followed hours after the Nigeria Police Force…

The federal high court in Abuja has ruled that the Nenadi Usman-led national caretaker committee of the Labour Party (LP) is the authentic leadership of the party. Peter Lifu, the presiding judge, on Wednesday, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Usman-led wing of the party. The judge reaffirmed the verdict of the supreme court that voided the order of the court of appeal. Lifu ruled that evidence before the court shows that the tenure of Julius Abure, the LP national chairman, has elapsed. The suit was filed by Usman, a former minister of finance. Abure and…

Nigeria’s police have now confirmed that a group of worshippers was kidnapped from three churches in a remote part of the northern Kaduna state, after previously denying it. More than two days after the raid on the Kurmin Wali village, police on Tuesday night said that an earlier statement denying the attack had been “widely misinterpreted”. Local residents told the BBC that 177 worshippers had been abducted but that 11 later escaped. Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin did not give any numbers but said subsequent checks by operational units and intelligence sources had confirmed the abduction. He said security forces had…

The Federal Government has inaugurated a committee on Book Ranking and Selection, to strengthen the quality and affordability of textbooks used in Nigerian schools. The initiative is aimed at addressing gaps in the current textbook approval process, which has allowed poor-quality materials, lack of standardisation and excessive financial burden on parents, to thrive. Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja on Monday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said that the existing system had failed to adequately validate and rank textbooks before approval. He said that this had led to a situation where some subjects had up to 50 approved…

Six young engineers shortlisted from the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Joint Qualification System (NOGIC JQS) portal of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) last week in Port Harcourt commenced a 12-month Human Capital Development (HCD) Training programme for provision of Community Electrification Interdependency Project tagged Opukushi Transmission Node. The training, which entails supervised classroom and practical work experience with Hommaston Training Institute, a member of the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), will focus on key skill areas approved by the NCDMB, namely, Civil and Structural Engineering Design, Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering Design, Onshore…

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami. His arrest, according to sources in the secret police, borders on fresh allegations of terrorism financing. Security sources say Malami, who is standing trial before a Federal High Court on allegations of money laundering, was on Monday taken into custody by security operatives shortly after his release from the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja. The source disclosed that DSS operatives picked him up immediately after he exited the facility. Officials of the Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed that Malami was…

Former Nigerian petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday for the preliminary hearing of her bribery case. The court appearance was part of early proceedings ahead of her full trial relating to allegations connected to her time in office. Alison-Madueke served as Minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 and was the first woman to hold the position, as well as the first female president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The case was listed on the cause list for Court 8 before Justice Thornton. The preliminary hearing took place…