Author: Vardiafrica

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has clarified that the Senate did not reject the electronic transmission of election results during consideration of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. Akpabio made the statement shortly after the Senate passed the bill following a marathon session that lasted about four and a half hours. Consideration of the contentious amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, of the bill began at around 2:00 p.m. and continued until 6:26 p.m., fueling online speculation that lawmakers had voted against mandatory electronic transmission of results. Earlier reports suggested that the red chamber had shot down a proposal that would have…

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has marked a major operational milestone with the commissioning of the reactivated Super Puma helicopter (NAF 565) at 205 Rotary Wing, Ikeja, Lagos on 4 February 2026.  Described by the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, as a “workhorse whose role is second to none in the Nigerian Air Force,” the aircraft is expected to significantly boost troop transport, casualty evacuation, search and rescue, and logistics support across multiple theatres. Speaking at the ceremony, the CAS said, “This occasion is not merely about the return of an aircraft to our…

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of an army battalion in Kaiama LGA of Kwara state following the deadly attack by suspected terrorists on the Nuku and Woro communities on Tuesday. Rauf Ajakaye, the chief press secretary to AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara State, told TheCable that 75 residents were killed by the suspected terrorists during the attack. In a statement issued on Wednesday night, Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, quoted Tinubu as saying the new military command will spearhead “Operation Savannah Shield” to “checkmate the barbaric terrorists and protect defenceless communities”. Onanuga noted that the president “condemned the cowardly and beastly attack” and…

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has formally approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja to challenge his conviction and life imprisonment sentence handed down by the Federal High Court. In a Notice of Appeal dated February 4, 2026, Kanu, through the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CR/…/2026, is seeking the reversal of the judgment delivered in Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, in which he was convicted on terrorism-related offences. In November 2025, Kanu was convicted by the Federal High Court and sentenced to life imprisonment on seven counts of terrorism. These included committing an act preparatory to, or in…

The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to amend Nigeria’s Electoral Act, strengthening the country’s electoral system and aligning it with current realities. The amendment bill was approved after lawmakers engaged in over five hours of debate and clause-by-clause consideration. The clauses were examined at the Committee of the Whole, after which the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced their passage following a majority voice vote. The bill had generated controversy since its introduction in the upper chamber. Unlike the House of Representatives, where it passed without dissent, several provisions sparked disagreement among senators, prompting the Senate to establish an ad hoc…

The Nigerian Senate has officially commenced a legislative process to alter the 1999 Constitution, seeking a revision of the national revenue allocation formula to grant the Federal Government a larger share of the Federation Account. The initiative was formalized following the first reading of a bill sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) during Tuesday’s plenary session. The bill aims to recalibrate the distribution of national wealth to better align with the expanding security and infrastructural mandates of the central government. In a media briefing after the plenary, Senator Karimi emphasized that the existing revenue-sharing framework has become “outdated…

The U.S. has dispatched a small team of military officers to Nigeria, the general in charge of U.S. Africa Command told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday. General Dagvin R.M. Anderson said the move followed his meeting with Nigeria’s president, Bola Tinubu, in Rome late last year. “That has led to increased collaboration between our nations, to include a small U.S. team that brings some unique capabilities from the United States in order to augment what Nigeria has been doing for several years,” Anderson said. It is unclear when the team arrived in Nigeria. The military officers are the latest…

Nigeria’s economic reform drive won rare global plaudits yesterday, with the World Bank describing the country as an emerging reference point for steady and credible reform leadership, citing sustained policy consistency, tough fiscal choices and growing investor confidence under the current administration. Also, President Bola Tinubu has vowed that he won’t abandon ongoing economic reforms in Nigeria, declaring that his government remains committed to sustaining the structural changes and will not reverse course despite the initial pains of adjustment. Charging the World Bank to deepen and fast-track its partnership with Nigeria, the President, who made the call at the State…

Spain will ban social media for under-16s and require platforms to employ strict age verification tools, joining Australia, France and Denmark in moves to curb the influence of digital platforms on children. “Our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone. A space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday. “We will no longer accept that, we will protect them from the digital Wild West.” Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Sánchez said his government would also introduce new laws to hold social media executives criminally…