Author: Chronicle Editor

Three men falsely convicted of murder in the US state of Maryland have been set free after 36 years in prison. Alfred Chestnut, Andrew Stewart and Ransom Watkins had been sentenced to life in 1984 for killing a 14-year-old boy a year earlier. They were freed in Baltimore on Monday after a judge cleared their convictions following a review of their case. The case was reopened this year after Mr Chestnut sent a letter to Baltimore’s Conviction Integrity Unit. He included evidence he had uncovered last year. Mr Chestnut, Mr Stewart and Mr Watkins were arrested as teenagers in November…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called for state governments in Nigeria to increase efforts to end gender-based violence against women. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated this today while receiving Mrs. Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for non-violent struggle, safety and women’s rights. According to him, “driving prosecution for sex offenders is best done at the state level, particularly strengthening the States to do so at the National Economic Council.” The Vice President emphasized the need for States to exercise political will in order to get the desired results, as well as provide…

The Nigerian Guild of Investigative Journalists (NGIJ) says the defeat of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16 governorship elections in Bayelsa has further confirmed its findings prior to the polls. NGIJ made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Public Relations Officer of the Guild, Adeyemi Obadimu. Obadimu said that the highest number of respondents to the guild’s questionnaire on assessment of the Seriake Dickson administration in Bayelsa state hinted that they would vote for the APC during the governorship election. “4,140 out of 9,322 respondents representing 44.4 per cent…

The Senate on Tuesday received a formal request from President Muhammadu Buhari for the consideration and passage of the 2019/2020 budget estimates for the Nigerian Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The request was contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President Ahmad Lawan, and read on the floor during plenary. The letter reads: “Pursuant to Section 18(1) of the Nigerian Delta Development Commission Establishment Act, I forward herewith 2019/2020 budget estimates of the Niger Delta Development Commission for the kind consideration and passage by the Senate. “While hoping that the Senate will consider this request in the usual expeditious manner,…

Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) says the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) was very thorough and professional under the leadership of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The Professor of Law noted that the SIP should not have been removed from the Office of the Vice President. He added the decision might slow the progress of the programmes. Reacting to a question that the role of the Vice President seems to have been whittled, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said, “The main responsibility that was taken away from the Vice President is the Social…

Prof. James Apam, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kogi, says the commission is ready for Kogi West Senatorial and Ajaokuta Federal Constituency supplementary elections slated for Saturday. Apam, who disclosed this on Tuesday in Lokoja at a Stakeholders’ meeting organised by INEC for the two Supplementary Elections said funding and logistics for the elections had been provided. He said the election would be conducted in 20 Registration Areas consisting of 53 Polling Units with a total of 45,767 Registered Voters in the seven local government areas of Kogi West Senatorial Districts. He said polls in the 53 units in…

The police on Tuesday arraigned a clergy, Abraham Daniel, in an Upper Area Court in Zuba, FCT over alleged defamation of character and inciting the public. The Prosecution Counsel, Mr Chinedu Ogada told the court that the defendant, an Arts Employee of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, between September and Nov. 22, maliciously published materials on social media against Pastor Paul Eneche and Dunamis International Gospel Centre. He added that the defendant said in that publication :“if anything happens to me Pastor Paul Eneche and Dunamis International Gospel Centre should be held responsible,’’. The prosecution counsel alledged that the publication was…

The Federal High Court, on Tuesday, admitted Faisal Maina, son of Abdulrasheed Maina, ex-pension reform boss, to a bail in the sum of N60 million. Justice Okon Abang, who gave the ruling, also said the defendant should produce a surety, who must be a member of the House of Representatives in the like sum. FG to bestow Tony Elumelu with National Productivity Order of Merit Award Faisal is being tried on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering. He is currently being held in police custody at Police Tactical Squad, Asokoro, where he is said to be under further investigation…

Tony Elumelu, founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and chairman of United Bank for Africa Group (UBA) and Heirs Holdings will be conferred with the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award by the President Muhammadu Buhari in recognition of his continuous hard work and total commitment to the empowerment of youths in Nigeria and Africa. The award ceremony will be held in Abuja, Nigeria on Thursday, November 28. The NPOM Award was instituted by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Labour and Employment to honour deserving Nigerians in recognition of their hard work and excellence. In a letter…

The Federal Government’s plan to ban consumer ownership of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders is aimed at enhancing safety and deepening cooking gas penetration in the country, an official said on Tuesday. Mr Dayo Adeshina, Programme Manager, National LPG Expansion and Implementation Plan, spoke at the Nigeria LPG Summit 2019 on Tuesday in Lagos. NAN reports that the summit was jointly organised by the Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Summit, based in Singapore. Adeshina said that the government would also continue to support the LPG industry with fiscal policies and incentives to enable the actualisation…