Author: Chronicle Editor

Liverpool fans are going into this week’s Champions League semi-final first leg with Roma in confident form – but are the Italian capital side being underestimated? After all, they have already completed one of the all-time great European fightbacks to reach this stage. As Roma manager Eusebio di Francesco walked into the media room at the Stadio Olimpico after stunning Barcelona, the local press pack applauded. They couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed. Il Corriere della Sera’s headline writer called it La Grande Bellezza – The Great Beauty – name-checking Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning film about life in the Italian…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to order the Senate President Bukola Saraki, Senator Dino Melaye and 107 other senators to refund “illegal and unconstitutional N13.5 monthly allowance receives by each senator with interest, and to stop the lawmakers from receiving such unjustified allowances.” SERAP is also asking the court to order “an investigation by appropriate agencies as to how the public funds that have so far been received by each senator have been spent and for the findings of any such investigation to be made public.” In the Suit Number FHC/L/CS/630/18…

Dangote Cement has announced the appointment of Joseph Makoju as managing director/Chief Executive Officer, a statement by Company Secretary, Mahmud Kazaure read. “Dangote Cement Plc (DANGCEM-NL), Africa’s largest cement producer, announces the appointment of Engr. Joseph Oyenani Makoju as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the company,” the statement said. Engr. Makoju was appointed to the Board of Dangote Cement Plc in 2010, as a non-executive director and became acting Managing Director/Chief Executive from December 22, 2017 up to the date of this appointment, 20 April 2018. Engr. Makoju has worked in several world class corporations including Shell BP, Blue…

Senator Dino Melaye whose residence has been besieged by heavily armed mobile policemen is talking to security agents in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital according to his tweets. Melaye who was declared wanted by the police said yesterday that his policemen attached to him have been withdrawn. “One CP came and took them away. There is also a plan to set me up again. But in God I trust. Truth will always prevail,” he tweeted. Today he said he would be visiting the police. “I will make myself available to the police today. My resolve to speak the truth and defend the…

Manchester City are willing to sell England defender John Stones, 23, this summer. (Sun) Tottenham’s Spanish striker Fernando Llorente, 33, is open to leaving the club and could rejoin former side Athletic Bilbao. (Mirror) Manchester City lead the race to sign Napoli’s 26-year-old Italy midfielder Jorginho and the Premier League champions have held productive talks with the player’s representative. (Mail) Arsene Wenger’s successor as Arsenal manager will have to work with a restricted summer budget of about £50m. (Telegraph) Arsenal’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis thinks former Gunners captain Mikel Arteta, who is now a coach at Manchester City, could be…

US oil producers are reaping the benefits of OPEC’s efforts to balance the crude market by flooding Europe with a record amount of crude, hurting traditional suppliers such as Nigeria. Russia paired with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, last year in cutting oil output jointly by 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd), a deal they say has largely rebalanced the market and one that has helped elevate benchmark Brent prices close to four-year highs. Now, the relatively high prices brought about by that pact, coupled with surging US output, are making it harder to sell Russian, Nigerian…

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, has refuted reports credited to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi, that he was in the US and refused to attend an investors’ summit. Sanusi was quoted to have accused the minister and some others for being absent at US-Nigeria Investors’ Forum even when they were in the US. The spokesman to the petroleum minister, Mr Idang Alibi, said Kachikwu was at another investors meeting in the UK. “The office of the Minister has recently been beleaguered with various media reports concerning the absence of the Minister of State…

Canadian police are questioning the suspected driver of a rented van that ploughed into pedestrians in northern Toronto on Monday, killing 10 and injuring 15. Alek Minassian, 25, was not previously known to authorities, police said. The incident appeared to be deliberate but the motive was not clear, officials added. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the “tragic and senseless attack” had brought him “great sadness”. Meanwhile, an officer has been praised for not opening fire during a tense standoff with the suspect, who claimed to be armed. READ: George H W Bush hospitalised a day after lady Barbara’s funeral…

Former US President George H W Bush has been hospitalised with an infection one day after his wife lady Barbara’s funeral in Texas. US media report that he is in intensive care. In a statement, family spokesman Jim McGrath said he had contracted an infection that spread to his blood, but was “responding to treatments”. Statement by the Office of @GeorgeHWBush on President Bush's health. pic.twitter.com/8UkB53JHqD— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) April 23, 2018 The 93-year-old was admitted to hospital in Houston on Sunday morning. He was president from 1989 to 1993 and his son, George W Bush, went on to serve…

Theo Walcott scored his first goal since January as Everton beat Newcastle United to move up to eighth in the Premier League. A dull first half bore all the hallmarks of an end-of-season mid-table encounter with goalscoring opportunities at a premium. However, the deadlock was broken soon after the break when Yannick Bolasie’s cross deflected off DeAndre Yedlin to Walcott, who took a touch before driving the ball into the roof of the net. The game briefly opened up after that and Newcastle substitute Dwight Gayle should have done better when he hooked a shot over from close range before…