Author: Chronicle Editor

A High Court sitting in Lokoja has fixed March 6 March 2020 to deliver judgement on a matter brought before it to determine the rightful owner of the Peoples Democratic Party ticket in the last year September 3, PDP primaries. Engr. Musa Wada was declared candidate of the PDP for the Governorship election held on 16 November, 2019; an election which saw Alhaji Yahaya Bello emerged winner. Justice John Olorunfemi of the Lokoja High Court 4, fixed March 6 to deliver judgement after counsels to all parties in the suit adopted their written addresses. Adopting his address, Rowland Otaru, SAN,…

The number of people infected with the new coronavirus has reached 44,653 in China, while Japan reported 174 cases, the largest number of infections outside China, health authorities said Wednesday. Ninety-seven deaths and 2,015 new infections were reported over a 24-hour interval in mainland China, according to the country’s National Health Commission. The total death toll in China climbed to 1,113. Two other patients have died in the Philippines and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Japan’s health ministry confirmed 39 more people on a cruise ship off Yokohama have tested positive for the virus. The Diamond Princess, operated by Carnival cruises, has been…

Pope Francis is expected to decide on Wednesday whether to make a limited exception to the celibacy rule for priests, one of the most controversial issues in the Catholic Church today. In October, a summit of bishops known as a synod proposed allowing married men into the priesthood, only in the Amazon area, to address the serious shortage of clergy in remote parts of the rainforest region. The pope is due to respond to the synod with an Apostolic Exhortation. The Vatican said the document, called “Querida Amazonia” (Dear Amazon), would be published at noon (1100 GMT). If the pope…

The Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has threatened to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), if former governor Ayodele Fayose fails to give a satisfactory explanation about the N400million earmarked for Akure-Ado-Ekiti road. The party urged the ex-governor to clarify why it terminated the reconstruction of Ekiti portion of the road and chased away workers of KOPEC Construction Company, who were handling the project without a justifiable reason. Fayose had last Wednesday lamented the poor state of the road, saying the interstate road linking Ondo State capital Akure and Ekiti State capital Ado-Ekiti has…

Legislative work on Operation Amotekun bill has started in the Southwest states. Houses of Assembly in Osun and Ekiti states have received the draft bill. The Oyo State Executive Council yesterday approved the Bill and transmitted it to the House of Assembly. Today, the Ondo State Executive Council will approve the Bill, according to a member of the Council. Ekiti State Speaker Funminiyi Afuye assured that the bill will be given an expeditious treatment. He expressed support for the security outfit, saying it would go a long way to curbing the rising spate of kidnapping, banditry, armed robbery and all forms…

Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto, Bishop Hassan Kukah and the Presidential Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina have clashed over President Muhammadu Buhari’s inaction. The war of words took place at a book presentation by Mrs Farida Waziri, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Abuja on Tuesday. Kukah was the guest speaker while Adesina was the   reviewer of the book titled: ”One Step Ahead-Life As A Spy, Detective And Anti-Graft Czar.” Kukah, represented by Reverend Father Patrick Alukumu, triggered the clash when in his final remarks, said he had yet to understand why the Executive…

President Muhammadu Buhari says all victims of abductions by terror groups, including Leah Sharibu, the abducted Chibok girl and other Dapchi schoolchildren, will regain their freedom. The President gave the assurance on Monday at a breakfast dialogue themed: ‘Stop the War on Children Affected by Armed Conflicts, Dividend of Silencing the Guns’, held on the sidelines of the ongoing 33rd African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The programme was co-sponsored by the governments of Nigeria, Uganda and Norway, the AU Commission and Save the Children. Buhari, who also charged AU Peace and Security Council to energetically champion the…

Samsung is making all three models in its new flagship smartphone range 5G-compatible. The top-end Galaxy S20 also introduces a 100x zoom camera. The firm also confirmed a new foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip. It uses “folding glass” in its display and small fibres in its hinge to protect itself from damage. Several rivals plan their own handset launches over the coming weeks. But the spread of the coronavirus poses a threat to production. “The virus is going to affect the supply chain,” said Ben Wood from the consultancy CCS Insight. “Although Samsung has diversified its manufacturing into places way…

Google’s appeal against a huge fine imposed by the European Commission over its alleged abuse of power in promoting its own shopping comparison service will be heard over the next three days. The hearing will take place at the General Court in Luxembourg. The €2.4bn ($2.6bn; £2bn) fine was handed out in 2017 and the search giant has always vowed to fight it. It argues that the case has no legal or economic merit. In a statement to the BBC, Google said: “We’re appealing [against] the European Commission’s 2017 Google Shopping decision because it is wrong on the law, the…

Widow of late Nigerian industrialist, nationalist and philanthropist, High Chief Dr. O. B. Lulu-Briggs, Dr. Mrs. Seinye O. B. Lulu-Briggs, the matriarch of the O. B. Lulu-Briggs family, while thanking God for her vindication following the release of her husband’s autopsy report, has called for unity among family and community members as well as friends of the family in order to accord her late husband a befitting burial. The widow’s call was contained in a statement made available to the media following the final release of the filed autopsy report conducted on her husband in Accra, Ghana, which showed he…