Author: Chronicle Editor

US President Donald Trump has fired Michael Atkinson, a senior official who first alerted Congress to a whistleblower complaint that led to his impeachment trial. Mr Trump said he no longer had confidence in Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community. Democrats said the president was settling scores during a national emergency caused by the coronavirus. They also accused him of trying to undermine the intelligence community. Last year, Mr Atkinson informed Congress of the complaint that President Trump had allegedly abused his office by pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his…

The Osun State Government has confirmed the arrest of a runaway coronavirus patient on Saturday. The missing COVID-19 patient in Osun was apprehended by the police and returned to the Isolation facility in Ejigbo, Osun state on Saturday. The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ismail Omipidan confirmed the development to the media. NCDC confirms error, puts confirmed cases at 209 He said the patient, a woman, was apprehended by the police in Ejigbo town and returned to the facility this afternoon. More to follow…

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed on Saturday met with the leadership of the National Assembly to intimate it with an Executive proposal to establish a N500 billion COVID-19 Crisis Intervention Fund. Mrs Zainab, with senior officials from her ministry, held the meeting with the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. The meeting which held at the National Assembly was also attended by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase and some other principal officers from both chambers. The…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed that it made an error when it reported 26 confirmed cases of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on Friday. The disease control centre said it over reported by one. The case was from Oyo state, the NCDC said on its official Twitter account on Saturday. “On 3rd of April 2020, we reported 26 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. An error has been discovered in this report as follows: There were 25 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The 26th case was a repeat result of a previously confirmed case and not a…

The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami), has stated that Nigeria has not issued 5G licence to any company in the country. The clarification comes after some persons claimed that the coronavirus pandemic was linked to the installation of 5G technology across the world. In a press statement on Saturday, he said the attention of his office has been drawn to the public concern about the health implications of the deployment of Fifth Generation Mobile Networks (5G) in Nigeria. “Based on available records at my office and the earlier report received from the regulator, I…

Broadcasters warned they face sanctions if they give airtime to false COVID-19 health advice British broadcasters are being warned that they face sanctions from the media regulator if they give airtime to false health advice about coronavirus, after a Sussex radio station was given a severe warning for broadcasting baseless conspiracy theories that the pandemic is linked to the rollout of 5G phone networks. Members of the public complained after hearing a broadcast on the community radio station Uckfield FM, in which a woman introduced as a “registered nurse” claimed, without any evidence, that the rollout of 5G phone technology in Wuhan was…

Two soldiers captured on viral video threatening to rape women in Delta State have been arrested, the Nigerian Army has said

By Lateef Adewole “Waa pe l’aye, ojure o n’iribi, okan ni waa f’owomu.” (You’d live long or you wouldn’t experience hardship, one has to choose between them). The “big masquerade” finally came out of his “shrine” and spoke. This past Sunday, President Buhari talked to Nigerians following unending demand and pressure from citizens who wanted to see and hear from their “elected” president. Despite the lateness or the legal issues that it threw up, the speech was well written, reassuring and had substance. The president declared the much anticipated lockdown but only in three locations; Lagos, Ogun and the FCT. The…

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state on Friday disclosed that the 62-year-old third case of coronavirus has tested negative and was discharged in the evening. Abiodun said the 62-year-old male patient who returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom on March 17 and was tested positive to COVID – 19 had been tested twice. The patient was later treated at the isolation centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu. The state government which briefed newsmen on Tuesday had said a 32-year-old patient had contacts with her father and was also tested positive to the virus. But, the governor broke…

On 12 January – less than three months ago – the coronavirus was confined to China. Not a single case had been found outside the country where it emerged. And then, on 13 January, the virus became a global problem. A case was recorded in Thailand before Japan, South Korea and the United States soon followed. Across the world, a trickle of cases became a flood. There have now been more than a million Covid-19 cases worldwide, in countries from Nepal to Nicaragua. But as the death tolls rise, and the hospitals overflow, is anywhere still coronavirus-free? The answer, perhaps…