Author: Vardiafrica

Nigeria’s defence minister, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, has resigned his appointment, with immediate effect. In a letter dated December 1, sent to President Bola Tinubu, Abubakar said he was quitting on health grounds, Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, said in a statement on Monday. “President Tinubu has accepted the resignation and thanked Abubakar for his services to the nation,” the statement said. “President Tinubu will likely inform the Senate of Badaru’s successor later this week.” Badaru Abubakar, 63, was a two-term governor of Jigawa state from 2015 to 2023. He was appointed as a…

Israel’s military will prohibit senior officers from using Android smartphones for official communications, permitting only iPhones for commanders ranked lieutenant colonel and above, according to a report by Army Radio on Wednesday. The directive aims to reduce intrusion risks on senior officers’ devices by standardizing operating systems at senior echelons, making security controls and updates easier to manage. The Israel Defense Forces has not publicly detailed timelines or exceptions for the policy, and officials did not immediately comment on whether the ban extends to personal devices used for work purposes. The move comes amid longstanding concerns about hostile actors using…

A delegation from the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS arrived in Guinea-Bissau on Monday for mediation talks with the leaders of a coup over the “complete restoration of constitutional order.” The ECOWAS mission, led by its chairman and the President of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, arrived as the military government — which seized power last Wednesday — banned all demonstrations, strikes and activities regarded as threat to peace and stability. In a statement late Sunday, the military authorities also ordered public institutions and ministries to reopen. Soldiers seized power in the West African nation three days after…

The Nigerian Embassy in Guinea Bissau has granted asylum to opposition presidential candidate, Fernando Dias da Costa, following alleged threats to his life in the wake of last week’s military coup. The protection was approved by President Bola Tinubu after reports that the opposition figure faced imminent danger following the seizure of power by the military. A document from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shared on social media, confirmed that the request for protection and security for Dias da Costa was formally received and approved. Military officers in the Portuguese speaking West African nation announced the overthrow of the civilian…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the country’s President, Isaac Herzog, for a pardon over corruption cases he has been battling. The president’s office said Herzog would receive opinions from justice officials before considering the request “which carries with it significant implications”. Netanyahu has been standing trial for the past five years on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in connection with three separate cases. He denies wrongdoing. He said in a video message that he would have preferred to see the process to the end but national interest “demanded otherwise”. The Israeli opposition says he should…

Amid worsening insecurity across Northern Nigeria, governors of the 19 northern states and leading traditional rulers on Monday convened an emergency meeting in Kaduna to deliberate on urgent solutions to the region’s escalating security crisis. The closed-door session, hosted by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, brought together members of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), led by its chairman, Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State. Also in attendance were prominent traditional rulers under the Northern Traditional Leaders Council, headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III. Although details of the meeting…

South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia were to begin on Monday administering a groundbreaking new HIV-prevention injection in the drug’s first public rollouts in Africa South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia were to begin on Monday administering a groundbreaking new HIV-prevention injection in the drug’s first public rollouts in Africa, which has the world’s highest HIV burden. Lenacapavir, taken twice a year, has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV transmission by more than 99.9%, making it functionally akin to a powerful vaccine. In South Africa, where one in five adults lives with HIV, a Wits University research unit oversaw the…

A total of 331 young graduates of diverse academic disciplines on Thursday received certificates and awards after completing a 12-month Human Capital Development Basic Training Programme on the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited Train 7 Project. The hands-on training, which held on a live LNG Plant at Finima, Bonny Island, base of the NLNG Limited, centred on Lifting and Working at Heights, Marine and Offshore Services, Quality Management Systems, Facility Management and Maintenance, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Engineering, Welding and Fabrication, and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT). In the keynote address, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe,…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta), and former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, among 32 ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate for confirmation, days after he submitted the first batch of three names. This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy. According to the press release, in two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to “consider and confirm expeditiously” 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 as non-career ambassadors Breakdown of the Additional Nominees Onanuga noted that there are four women on the career ambassadors list and six…

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), Yenagoa, held an interactive session with students union leaders of tertiary institutions in Bayelsa State, to raise awareness about the Board’s vision and mandate as well as projects in the state, and emphasise the important roles expected of students in the sustainable development of society. In attendance were Student Union Government (SUG) officials drawn from Bayelsa Medical University, Yenagoa, Federal University, Otuoke, National Open University, Yenagoa Centre, University of Africa, Toru-Orua, Bayelsa State College of Health Sciences, Federal Polytechnic, Ekowe, Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro College of Education, Sagbama, and International…