Author: Chronicle Editor

A Federal Government delegation comprising Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen Abdulrahman Danbazzau and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadijat Bukar Ibrahim, are on their way to Dapchi, Yobe State to meet with the freed schoolgirls. They will arrive Maiduguri first before going to the Yobe town, said Segun Adeyemi, special adviser to Minister of Information. The ministers had attended a Federal Executive Council meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, before they left for Maiduguri. Before their departure, Mohammed told media men, that the number of the Dapchi schoolgirls who were…

Pope Francis says the use of the religious symbol the ‘Crucifix’ (cross) as a fashion statement was abuse of the religious object. In a speech at St Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Pope Francis said that the religious symbol should be “contemplated and understood”, and “not be abused”. Highlighting the religious meaning of the cross, he said: “The crucifix is not an ornamental object or a clothing accessory which is sometimes abused, but a religious sign to be contemplated and understood. “The image of Jesus crucified reveals the mystery of the death of the Son as the supreme act of…

African leaders have signed what is being called the largest free trade agreement since the creation of the World Trade Organization. The deal creates a continental market of 1.2 billion people, with a combined gross domestic product of more than $3.4 trillion. A major goal is to boost intra-African trade and rely less on the volatility of commodity prices that affect many exports. It is not immediately clear when the agreement, signed by 44 of the 55 member states, will enter into force. States now must ratify it. READ: Nigeria’s Chinese Loan: The genesis and the bitter truth There are…

Manchester United are concerned that Chile forward Alexis Sanchez, 29, is struggling to settle at the club and fear a repeat of the circumstances around Paris St-Germain and Argentina winger Angel di Maria’s brief spell at Old Trafford. (Mail) England coach Gareth Southgate has banned his players from eating Starbucks food – and having syrup in their cappuccinos – at the team hotel’s cafe. (ESPN) West Ham United are in a fresh legal dispute with London Stadium’s landlords over who should pay for a series of costs including providing draught beer, Sky TV and hospitality staff. (The Times – subscription…

Championship club Reading have parted company with manager Jaap Stam after a run of just one win in 18 league games. Former Manchester United and Netherlands defender Stam, 45, led the club to the Championship play-off final in his first season at the club. But poor results this term have seen Reading slip to 20th, within three points of the relegation zone. Saturday’s 3-2 defeat by Norwich City left the Royals without a win in their past nine Championship matches. Stam did not appear for post-match interviews after that defeat at Carrow Road, instead sending out his assistant manager Andries…

By Nathaniel C. Adoji “….I said in 2015 immediately Buhari came to power that there was nothing he could do without funds. The earnings from crude oil had dropped and Nigeria was not credible to take “vanilla loan” which is a flexible loan. Earnings from crude oil sales had dropped and we just came out from a period when the crude oil price reached an unprecedented peak. We did not borrow then and we did not use the oil windfall to build infrastructure, we squandered it instead.“- Godwin Eohoi (Registrar, CIFCN) The Genesis of the Chinese loan was borne out…

Boko Haram militants said they returned 76 Dapchi girls out of pity, warning their parents not to return them to Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe state or give them education. According to reports, Boko Haram fighters issued an ominous warning to the parents of the Nigerian schoolgirls after releasing the girls in the town where they were abducted a month ago. A witness in the town of Dapchi told The Associated Press that the fighters told residents they had returned the girls “out of pity.” “And don’t ever put your daughters in school again,” they warned. Boko Haram…

The Nigerian government has said “no ransoms were paid” in the release of dozens of schoolgirls kidnapped a month ago by Boko Haram extremists. Nigeria says 76 of the 110 schoolgirls are confirmed freed but that the release is “ongoing.” Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed says the girls were released “through back-channel efforts and with the help of some friends of the country, and it was unconditional.” Witnesses in Dapchi town say the extremists drove into town before dawn and dropped off the girls with a warning: “Don’t ever put your daughters in school again.” Meanwhile, Boko Haram militants have…

Seventy-six out of the 110 abducted Dapchi schoolgirls were released, Information minister Lai Mohammed, has corrected the earlier figure quoted. Earlier reports say 105 of the girls were released by Boko Haram on Wednesday and that five of them were died. According to Presidential spokesman Shebu Garba government sources, the released girls have been transported to their homes. The release of the girls came barely a few days after Defence Minister Dan Alli promised that the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls would be rescued. They were abducted by a faction of Boko Haram fighters at the Government Girls Technical College, Dapchi in…

The Presidency has confirmed the release of abducted students of Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State. The girls were abducted by the terrorists sect, Boko Haram sect on February 19. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, confirmed this when contacted. Shehu promised to give further details on the development later. “Yes, the girls are being transported to safety. We will give details later. We thank God,” he said. The girls’ release came exactly one week after President Muhammadu Buhari visited the school where they were kidnapped. READ: Robbers kill Taxify…