Author: Chronicle Editor

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said that the Federal Government would soon commence the construction of the 600-kilometre Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline which would move gas from the Southern part of the country to the North. The Nigerian leader, who disclosed this while addressing the 5th Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) Summit at the Sipopo International Conference Hall, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, added that the viability of extending the gas pipeline to North Africa was also under consideration. Describing the theme of the Summit, Natural Gas – Energy for Sustainable Development as most appropriate, President Buhari noted that the one-day meeting was…

The Nigerian Army Guards Brigade on Thursday commenced free health care services in Toto, Nasarawa state as part of activities to enhance civil military cooperation under Exercise Ayem Akpatuma 11. NAN reports that the Army Headquarters has launched various exercises on Nov. 1 to enhance its operations across the country ahead of the yuletide. Speaking on the medical outreach, the Commander, Guard Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Muhammed Usman, said that the exercise was meant to create cordial relationship between the army and civilians. Usman, who was represented by the Garrison Commander, Lt.-Col. Mohammed Maina, added that the exercise would also boost confidence…

A South African court on Friday rejected an appeal by former President Jacob Zuma that sought to prevent his prosecution on corruption charges over a 2 billion dollars arms deal. The ruling paves the way for Zuma’s long-awaited trial to start in Feb. 2020. Zuma, in office from 2009 to 2018, had previously applied for a permanent stay of prosecution on 18 charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering relating to an arms deal with French defense firm Thales in the 1990s. In mid-October, the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed an application by Zuma and Thales for a permanent stay of…

Npower has announced a restructure of its UK business that unions warn threatens 4,500 jobs and could lead to the closure of call centres. The news was described as a ‘body blow’ by one union official, coming just weeks before Christmas. Workers will be given details at briefings later today. Npower, one of the Big Six energy suppliers in the UK, lost 261,000 customers in the third quarter of this year. The company now has fewer than half a million customers – around 447,000. In a statement, E.ON confirmed that there would be a ‘significant number’ of jobs lost over…

President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria is rich in petroleum resources, but the challenges confronting the country are so enormous that it renders oil earnings insignificant. The President spoke Thursday at State House, Abuja, while receiving in farewell audience the Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Carlos Trejo Sosa, who has been here for five years. President Buhari said he was pleased with relations between Cuba and Nigeria, particularly the hand of fellowship extended in the area of health care and transfer of knowledge, among others. Buhari vows to ensure political stability for investors “We have deficit in infrastructure, in education, health care,…

President Muhammadu Buhari says investments cannot thrive in an atmosphere of social and political instability, so, the Federal Government would do all within its powers to safeguard the interest of investors. The President spoke at State House, Abuja, Thursday, while playing host to the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Total Group Worldwide, Mr Patrick Pouyanne. President Buhari said: “The relationship between us and Total has been long and mutually beneficial. We want it to remain so. We have to be honourable, honest, and work together, so that we can improve. “At our end, we promise social and political stability, so that…

Arsenal has announced the sacking of head coach Unai Emery after succeeding Arsene Wenger 18 months ago at the north London club. The Spaniard, who previously led Paris St-Germain to the French league title and won three Europa Leagues with Sevilla, was appointed Gunners boss in May 2018. The Gunners have not won in seven games and lost 2-1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League on Thursday. They are without a Premier League victory since 6 October and eight points off the top four. A statement on the club’s website read: “We announce today that the decision…

Eritrea has accused Qatar of plans “to assassinate influential Eritrean leaders”, according to a press release from Eritrea’s information ministry. It added that Qatar was guilty of “subversion” including supporting opposition groups and encouraging “protests and demonstrations in Eritrean cities against the government”. The statement also alleged that Qatar wants to “instil religious extremism on Eritrean Islamist opposition elements and thereby induce an uprising of Eritrean Muslims against their compatriots”. Boris Johnson accused of insulting Nigerians Eritrea had long-standing close relations with Qatar until the rivalry among among Gulf states emerged in 2017. Eritrea has since shifted allegiance towards the Saudi-UAE…

With two weeks to the UK general election, an old newspaper column written by current Prime Minister Boris Johnson has surfaced in which he stereotypes Nigerians. Mr Johnson, who used to work as a journalist, wrote a piece in 1999 about how young people could be attracted back to the Conservative party. This was two years into the first government of Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair when Conservative popularity was at a low ebb. “We had to recognise that Blair had found a way of making people feel good about getting rich,” Mr Johnson wrote. “All the young people I…

Gasoline cracks and high prices for competing North Sea grades kept price offers high for light, sweet Nigerian crude, though two key streams have suffered loading issues. According to Reuters, a slightly smaller January loading volume for North Sea benchmark grades and multi-year price highs for the likes of Forties kept offers for some light, sweet Nigerian grades above a $3 premium to dated Brent. The report indicates that less than 10 cargoes of Nigerian crude remain for export in December — a record low for 2019 — as European refiners continue to maintain high interest. The Bonga stream is…