Author: Chronicle Editor

The Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has jumped five spots to be named the world’s 100th richest person on Forbes’ annual billionaires list. Dangote has interests in commodities like cement and sugar in Nigeria and other African countries, including Benin, Ethiopia, Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Togo, Tanzania, and Zambia. His fortune now stands at $14.1 billion, $8.8 billion more than second placed Nigerian, Mike Adenuga who has interest in telecoms and oil. Adenuga’s fortune stands at $5.3 billion while that of the other Nigerian on the list, Folorunsho Alakija stands at $1.5 billion. She is the CEO of Famfa Oil.…

Nigeria ordered an audit of domestic airline Dana Air after one of its planes overshot a runway in the city of Port Harcourt last month, the latest in a series of incidents, presidency said on Wednesday. “This is following the recent air incidents, minor as they were because there are no fatalities, (but) the government did feel concern,” the presidency spokesman told reporters after a cabinet meeting in the capital Abuja. Nigeria’s airlines are plagued by problems – delays, cancellations and fuel shortages almost expected from domestic passengers. READ: Charles Okah sentenced to life imprisonment for 2010 car bombing However,…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced two men to life imprisonment on Wednesday over deadly twin bomb attacks which killed 12 people during the country’s 2010 Independence Day celebrations. Charles Okah and Obi Nwabueze were convicted for facilitating and financing the blasts during national celebrations in the capital Abuja. The pair were also sentenced over a second attack earlier the same year in Warri, Delta State that killed two people. Okah is the brother of oil militant Henry Okah, the suspected mastermind of the two plots who is already serving a 24-year prison sentence in South Africa. Henry…

Manchester City booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals, but lost a home game for the first time since 2016 as they were beaten by Basel in the second leg of their last-16 tie. City’s 4-0 away win meant the second leg was a formality, with Pep Guardiola resting several first-team players. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring by tapping home Bernardo Silva’s cross. But Mohamed Elyounoussi lashed home a leveller and then set up Michael Lang’s second-leg winner. The damage was done in Switzerland three weeks ago. A much-changed City were impressive going forward in the first half, although…

Tottenham were knocked out of the Champions League as Juventus came from behind to move into the quarter-finals. The first leg in Italy ended 2-2 and Son Heung-min put Spurs ahead at Wembley with a scuffed finish from Kieran Trippier’s low cross. But Gonzalo Higuain scored an equaliser when he steered in Sami Khedira’s pass. And less than three minutes later, Paulo Dybala raced on to Higuain’s through ball and slotted past Hugo Lloris to seal a 4-3 aggregate victory. Tottenham came close to scoring an equaliser that would have taken the tie into extra time but the impressive Son…

Joel Obi has been recalled to the Nigeria squad for the first time in almost four years after being named on Wednesday, along with three uncapped players, for World Cup warm-up friendlies against Poland and Serbia this month. Coach Gernot Rohr has brought back the 26-year Torino midfielder for the matches in Wroclaw on March 23 and London four days later as Nigeria prepare for the World Cup in Russia, where they are in Group D with Argentina, Croatia and Iceland. Defender Stephen Eze, recently signed by Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria, and strikers Junior Ajayi and Gabriel Okechukwu have been…

…extends period for discounted payment to April 14 The Lagos State Government on Wednesday clarified the figures circulating in the media on the rate for the newly reviewed Land Use Charge Law of 2018, saying many of the numbers were based on several years of arrears on the levy not paid by affected property owners. Speaking at a news briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, the State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan said there were so many misconceptions and misinformation about the new law, adding that the law was a progressive enactment…

A 31-year old businessman, Anthony Okonji, who changes money, was on Wednesday brought before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly obtaining 30, 840 dollars (about N9.8 million) under the guise of supplying the naira equivalent. The accused, whose residential address was not given, is standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and fraud. The Prosecutor, SP Susan Ezema, told the court that the accused committed the offences between May 23 and May 25, 2017 in Lagos and Kano. She said the accused obtained 30, 840 dollars (equivalent of N9.8 million) under the pretext of supplying the naira…

The Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) said it has set aside six billion naira as Northeast intervention fund to support exporters in the region. The bank disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja. It said that a delegation from the bank visited the region for an on-site assessment of export oriented projects in the region. It said that the delegation was led by Mr Bala Bello, the Executive Director, Corporate Services, who represented the Managing Director/Chief Executive, Mr Abba Bello and was accompanied by the Executive Director, Business Development, Hon. Stella Okotete, and other senior management staff…

Coca-Cola is planning to produce an alcoholic drink for the first time in the company’s 125-year history – with an alcopop-style product in Japan. It is keen to cash in on the country’s growing taste for Chu-Hi – canned sparkling flavoured drinks given a kick with a local spirit called shochu. The product is typically between 3% and 8% alcohol by volume. A senior Coke executive in Japan said the move was a “modest experiment for a specific slice of our market”. READ: Mario Balotelli condemns Italy’s first black senator, Tony Iwobi “We haven’t experimented in the low alcohol category…