Author: Vardiafrica

For thousands of young Nigerians dreaming of contributing to the nation’s energy future, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) is once again opening a door to opportunity through its Annual National Undergraduate Essay Competition. The Board has announced that entries for the 10th edition of the prestigious competition will open on August 15, inviting undergraduate students in 100 and 200 levels from Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education to showcase their ideas on strengthening local content development. This year’s essay topic, “Promoting Manufacturing for Sustainable Local Content Development,” challenges students to examine how Nigeria can build stronger local manufacturing capacity…

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of directing the freezing of a state government account domiciled with a commercial bank, 10 days before the August 15 governorship election. The account, reportedly used for the payment of workers’ salaries, was allegedly placed on “Post No Debit” status by the anti-graft agency, according to documents cited in reports on the development. The allegation came hours after the state government, in a statement on its official website, raised concerns that the EFCC was planning to freeze the state’s accounts and those of some top government…

Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has disclosed that the federal government will, in a matter of weeks, roll out a 90,000-kilometre fibre optic network nationwide. He described it as one of the country’s most ambitious digital infrastructure projects targeted at transforming broadband connectivity across the country. Tijani, who spoke with newsmen yesterday after briefing President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on the progress of three flagship digital projects being implemented by his ministry, said government had completed the resource mobilisation and contractual processes required for the fibre project and was ready to begin…

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on Tuesday expressed optimism that its planned nationwide strike could be averted following a meeting with the Federal Government. Its President, Dr. Mohammad Suleiman, said this after a meeting convened by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. The meeting was convened to address the doctors’ grievances ahead of the August 10, 2026 strike deadline. The meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja was attended by the Ministers of Health, Labour, and Finance; Director-General of the Budget Office; officials of the Office of the Accountant-General and IPPIS; and other relevant agencies. Suleiman…

President Bola Tinubu has approved salary increases of between 30 and 80 per cent for Nigeria’s armed forces personnel. About 250,000 personnel are to benefit from the new deal. Under the new arrangement, which becomes effective from September 1, officers above the rank of colonel will enjoy a 30 per cent salary increase. This applies to Brigadier-Generals, Major-Generals, Lieutenant Generals and Generals. Personnel from colonel down to warrant officer will have a 50 per cent increase, while Private to Staff Sergeant will have an 80 per cent increase. The pay package will increase the yearly salary bill for the country’s…

In a move to provide a new financing solution to the Nigerian oil and gas service sector, and accelerate local content growth, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB)and theBank of Industry (BOI) on Friday in Lagos inaugurated the Investment Committee of the Nigerian Content Equity Fund (NCEF) – a groundbreaking $100 million financing product designed to avail long-term financing to service companies and provide access to funds in exchange for equity rather than traditional debt instruments. The committee was inaugurated by the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, setting the stage for the rollout of the pioneering financing window under the…

The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has warned some aviation unions against disrupting flight operations over the ongoing dispute on ticket service charge (TSC) remittances. The warning follows a fresh seven-day ultimatum issued by the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN) and the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), directing airline operators to remit outstanding 5 percent ticket service charges owed to aviation agencies. The unions had said the continued non-remittance of the charges has deprived aviation agencies of critical funding needed to maintain the safety of Nigeria’s airspace while also affecting the welfare of workers. Responding in…

The Presidential Working Group on the proposed National Policing Bill has invited Nigerians to submit memoranda and policy proposals as part of efforts to establish a comprehensive legal and operational framework for state policing. Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Working Group, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, announced this on Monday after the Working Group’s meeting at the State House, Abuja. The Working Group is reviewing the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations, and other relevant laws to support the development of an effective, modern policing system. The proposed framework will set national minimum…

The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has directed all cryptocurrency exchanges, Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) and peer-to-peer (P2P) escrow operators to make a valid Tax Identification Number (Tax ID) compulsory before activating new customer accounts, in a major move to strengthen tax compliance in Nigeria’s fast-growing digital asset market. The directive is contained in the Guidelines on the Taxation of Virtual Assets released on Monday as part of the Federal Government’s new framework for regulating and taxing cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, tokenised assets and other digital assets. The latest requirement is expected to tighten oversight of Nigeria’s crypto ecosystem by ensuring that…

The Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with Butane Energy Limited, has commissioned a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plant in Bauchi State as part of its strategic efforts to deepen domestic gas utilization, expand access to cleaner cooking fuel, and strengthen indigenous participation across Nigeria’s energy sector. The Bauchi LPG plant is the third facility developed under the NCDMB–Butane Energy partnership, following the successful establishment of similar plants in Katsina and Kaduna States. This expansion directly supports the Federal Government’s Decade of Gas initiative and aims to tackle energy poverty across Northern Nigeria. Speaking during the commissioning…