Author: Vardiafrica

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has directed heads of administration in the 23 local government areas to take over from the elected council chairmen whose three-year tenure elapsed on Monday. Governor Fubara gave the directive in a state broadcast on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. “As we move forward in making sure that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is upheld, and that law and order is maintained as we continue to strive to provide leadership and direction for our people, I hereby direct Heads of Local Government Administration to continue to provide leadership in…

The Federal Government has asked owners of private jets in the country to present their documents for verification It gave the order in a notice through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). The NCS said the exercise aims to identify improperly imported private aircraft without documentation, ensure proper imports, and for maximum revenue collection. “The Nigeria Customs Service announces a verification exercise for privately owned aircraft operating in Nigeria,” the statement read. “This exercise aims to identify improperly imported private aircraft without documentation, ensuring proper imports and maximum revenue collection.” The exercise will start on Wednesday (tomorrow) and is expected to last…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday paid a visit to the wife of the President, Remi Tinubu, in Lagos. A media aide to the President’s wife, Busola Kukoyi, said Obasanjo came felicitating with her principal on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir celebrations. “Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and the First Lady of the Federal of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu after receiving the Former President who came felicitating on the Sallah Celebration on Monday 17th June,” Kukoyi wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). In the buildup to the 2023 presidential election won by…

Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, has assured the people of the state that he and his men won’t allow the crisis enveloping the Local Government Areas (LGAs) to lead to a breakdown of law and order. CP Disu told journalists at the police headquarters in Port Harcourt on Monday that the police are aware of the situation at the different LGAs and expect the different political players to respect the appeal and cease hostilities pending the hearing and determination of their case. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Olatunji Disu, declared his readiness to protect the lives…

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has faulted plans by the Federal Government to buy new jets for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima. Obi, in a Monday post on X (formerly Twitter), urged the current government to focus on alleviating the suffering of the people and not splurging scarce resources on the acquisition of new presidential jets. Last week, the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence asked the Federal Government to purchase new aircraft for Tinubu and Shettima. The committee’s recommendation followed its investigation into the status of the aircraft in the…

There is tension across some of the twenty-three local government areas in Rivers state as the tenure of the council chairmen expires today, June 17, by midnight. The tension was ignited by the decision of the LG chairmen in the state under the aegis of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria to remain in office citing the Local Government Amendment Law No 2 of the 2024 by the Martin Amaewhule-led 27 House of Assembly members extending their tenure by six months. The State ALGON Chairman, Allwell Ihunda, who is also the Chairman of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, insisted that…

Some parts of Ghana and other West African countries are currently experiencing blackouts due to a lingering disruption in gas supply from Nigeria. According to findings by our correspondent, there have been blackouts in several cities in Ghana, Republic of Benin and Togo, following the development. The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited in Accra, Ghana, had on Wednesday announced it was experiencing a drop in gas volumes available for transportation. In a statement, WAPCO said one of its gas producers in Nigeria was carrying out some maintenance works. As a result, the gas producer was said to have shut…

The  Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, has revealed plans by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government to lift the visa ban imposed on Nigerian travellers soon Keyamo, during a 44-minute interview with the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu, Otega Ogra, on the State House YouTube, noted that a resolution has been reached between President Bola Tinubu and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during Tinubu’s visit to the UAE in September 2023. According to him, although the UAE had initially listed additional processes to be met before the ban could be officially lifted, the Nigerian government has…

A former deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has declared support for the opposition, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, in the upcoming September 21 governorship election in Edo state. According to Shaibu, the governorship race started with three homeboys – himself, Okpebholo, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP). “I will support a homeboy. I came into politics to contest as the governor of Edo State because I need the government to return to homeboys – people who understand our plight, people who understand what the people are feeling. Even the United Nations talks about the…

Senegal has achieved its first oil as it officially joins the list of oil-producing countries in West Africa. The country began producing oil for the first time last week, with the Sangomar deep-water project aiming to produce 100,000 barrels of oil per day. “The Sangomar Field Development Phase 1 is a deepwater project including a stand-alone floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility with a nameplate capacity of 100, 000 barrels/day, and subsea infrastructure that is designed to allow subsequent development phases. “This is a historic day, a key milestone for Woodside and Senegal,” said Australian energy giant, Woodside while…