Author: Chronicle Editor

Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State has hailed his Kogi State counterpart, Alhaji Yahaya Bello for upholding the leadership ideals of President Muhammadu Buhari. Al-Makura gave the commendation while receiving Governor Bello at the Government House, Lafia, saying Bello has been an advocate of a united Nigeria. According to Al-Makura, the visit of Governor Bello and other Governors to Benue to sympathize with the people of Benue, was a “loud testimony of the unity and peace that exists among the APC Governors”. “Let me use this opportunity to thank Governor Yahaya Bello for standing up for a united Nigeria. He…

Pope Francis has triggered anger in Chile after accusing victims of a paedophile priest of slander. Francis said there was “no proof” for their claims that abuse by Father Fernando Karadima had been covered up by another man, Bishop Juan Barros. “There is not one single piece of proof against him (Bishop Barros). It is all slander. Is that clear?” the Pope said. One Karadima victim said the Pope’s earlier plea for forgiveness over clerical sex abuse was “empty”. The Pope made his comments on Thursday before celebrating Mass outside the city of Iquique in northern Chile. “The day someone…

The US astronaut Jeanette Epps has been removed from her upcoming mission to the International Space Station (ISS) just months before launch. Dr Epps was to have been the first African-American astronaut assigned to the space station crew. She would have flown aboard a Russian Soyuz flight in June but is being replaced by another astronaut. Nasa has not given a reason for withdrawing her but says she will be considered for future missions. Jeanette Epps, born in Syracuse, completed a doctorate in aerospace engineering in 2000. After graduating, she worked in a laboratory for two years before being recruited…

By SKC Ogbonnia The Hand Shake Across the Niger summit has come and gone. Though the event was fraught with strategic shortfalls, the move ought to be encouraged by all, because disunity in Southern Nigeria has been a stumbling block to Nigeria’s democracy. Here is why and how: A definite problem that dogged the Nigerian democracy for ages was lack of dynamic opposition due to prefoliations of political parties. This phenomenon contributed to systemic dictatorship and, by consequence, a history of power abuse. The god of democracy came to the rescue by provoking the creation of the All Progressive Alliance…

Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party has fired 11 parliamentarians, friends of former leader Robert Mugabe, as President Emmerson Mnangagwa continues a purge of officials that publicly supported Mugabe and his wife, media reports said on Friday. Mnangagwa, who came to power in November 2017 after 93-year-old Mugabe was forced to resign following a defacto military coup, has spoken against retribution. However, local media reports say a ZANU-PF restructuring process around the country was targeting those who publicly backed Mugabe and Grace, whose tilt at power resulted in the military intervention. According to a transcript of parliament procedures from Thursday, the Parliament…

At least five Niger soldiers were killed and a dozen others wounded this week in an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants in the country’s southeast, security sources told AFP on Friday. “There are dead soldiers and another dozen who were wounded in this Boko Haram attack in Toummour,” one security source told AFP, while another source said “at least five soldiers and one civilian” had been killed. Toummour is located in the Diffa administrative region, which lies on the frontier with Nigeria and Chad. It has suffered a string of deadly Boko Haram attacks since February 2015, although the…

Stoke’s former England striker Peter Crouch, 36, has emerged as a new target for Chelsea after injury denied Andy Carroll, 29, a possible move from West Ham. (Telegraph) Chelsea are keen to sign Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko, 31, and Italian left-back Emerson Palmieri, 23, from Roma. The pair could cost a combined £77m. (Daily Star) Chelsea could use 24-year-old Belgian Michy Batshuayi as part of a deal to sign Edin Dzeko. (Sky Italia) Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, 27, says being a part of the club is “special”. The Spaniard has sought to play down speculation around his future…

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Friday she is expecting her first baby, and is set to become the country’s first leader to give birth while in office. The 37-year-old, who was sworn in last October, made global headlines when she slapped down pre-election questions over whether she intended to start a family, insisting pregnancy had no bearing on a woman’s career opportunities. Ardern was all smiles Friday as she appeared with partner Clarke Gayford at their home to announce the “unexpected but exciting” news of their first baby. “Clark and I are really exited to share…that in June…

Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho has signed a two-year contract extension until 2020. The 32-year-old Brazilian was a £30m signing from Shakhtar Donetsk in June 2013, and won the Premier League title and League Cup in his first season. He scored in the League Cup final as City won in 2016 and has netted 19 goals in 212 games for the club. “This is a club with a fantastic future and I want to be a part of it for as long as possible,” he said. Fernandinho, who has made 30 appearances in all competitions so far this season, has been…

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged Nigerians to resist all appeals to ”unthinking passions and old prejudices” and instead follow their conscience in picking their next crop of leaders in 2019. At the annual Daily Trust Dialogue in Abuja today, he implored Nigerians not to allow politics as usual to decide the 2019 election season. His speech was read by a former commissioner for finance in Lagos State, Olawale Edun. “We must insist on the principle that elections do not return to being games played by a well-heeled elite while the rest…