Author: Vardiafrica

The Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja on Monday. The governor was seen arriving at the President’s office at 4:13 p.m. local time. The visit comes amid reports of his possible defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Recently, Kano politics has been thrown into fresh tension following reports of a planned defection by Governor Yusuf, from the NNPP to the APC, a move strongly opposed by the party’s leadership and its national leader, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. The development has sparked internal disagreements…

The Federal Government has opened applications for the 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Overseas Scholarship Scheme, offering Nigerian postgraduate students the opportunity to pursue studies in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Malaysia. The announcement was confirmed on Monday, January 19, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Media, Dada Olusegun. “FG has announced the commencement of applications for 2026 Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Scholarships overseas,” the post said. According to information on the scholarship board’s website, the programme is open to MSc and PhD candidates…

In continuation of last year’s demonstrations over unpaid contractual fees, local contractors again besieged the the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja, yesterday where they attempted to obstruct the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite from gaining access to the ministry. Under the umbrella of All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), the protesters, who had first assembled close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from matched to the finance ministry’s central gate around 10am.On getting to the ministry, they blocked the gate, demanding the payment of contract fees owed them by the federal government. In December…

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has confirmed Eric Chelle will continue as head coach following Nigeria’s third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. NFF had set a target of getting to the final and winning the trophy for Chelle, but he fell short of this, losing to Morocco in the semi-final and winning the bronze medal instead. Speaking after the tournament, Gusau stated that the national team displayed notable progress under Chelle and affirmed that the federation is committed to working with the coach as Nigeria aims to build on the performance.…

Vice President Kashim Shettima has formally opened the Nigeria House in Davos as the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) kicks off in Switzerland The unveiling, which took place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, marks the first time Nigeria is establishing a House in Davos. The Nigeria House is designed to serve as a strategic hub for engaging global investors and promoting key sectors of the Nigerian economy. The facility will provide a platform for investment discussions, partnerships and policy engagements aimed at attracting foreign direct investment into the country. Members of the Nigerian delegation, alongside foreign partners…

The Federal Government (FG) on Monday re-arraigned human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on an amended two-count charge over comments in which he described President Bola Tinubu as a “criminal”. FG, in the amended charge dated and filed on December 5, 2025, removed Meta Platforms Inc. and X Corp. as co-defendants in the case, leaving Sowore as the sole defendant. At Wednesday’s proceedings, FG’s Counsel, Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, formally moved the amended change. His counsel, Marshal Abubakar, acknowledged service of the amendeded charge and did not…

The curtains have officially come down on the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, and with it, the spotlight has firmly shifted eastward. On Sunday night, African football entered a new chapter after CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe formally handed over the AFCON tournament flag to Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, officially sealing East Africa’s joint hosting rights for the Pamoja 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. The symbolic handover marked the formal start of preparations for the first-ever AFCON tournament to be jointly hosted by three nations, a historic milestone for East Africa and the continent at large. The ceremony,…

A tanker loaded with diesel has fallen on the Liverpool Bridge in the Apapa area of Lagos State, spilling its contents on the road. The incident, which occurred on Monday, saw residents of the area scooping the inflammable contents without considering the associated risks. Disclosing this in a statement via X, the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) said traffic has been diverted to the other side of the bridge for safety measures. According to the statement, emergency officials, including operatives of the Lagos State Fire Service, the Nigeria Police Force, and LASTMA, are currently on ground to avert a…

Workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and the Federal Capital Development Authority Monday, commenced an industrial action, shutting down activities across Abuja, over what they described as “unmet demands” by the Federal Government. Channels Television’s crew visited the FCTA Secretariat at 9:00 a.m. and observed a heavy security presence at the entrance, with personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force stationed at the gate. Workers were barred from entering the premises. The strike is expected to affect all FCTA secretariats, departments, agencies, area councils, and parastatals, effectively grounding official activities within the…

FIFA president Gianni Infantino condemned “some Senegal players” for the “unacceptable scenes” which overshadowed their victory in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final when they walked off the pitch in protest at a penalty awarded to Morocco. African football’s showpiece event was marred by most of the Senegalese players leaving the pitch when, deep into injury time of normal play and with the match locked at 0-0, Morocco were awarded a spot-kick following a VAR check for a challenge on Brahim Diaz. As a group of their fans fought with Moroccan security personnel at the other end of the stadium,…