Author: Chronicle Editor

For the past three weeks, Kolo Adamu has slept on the floor beside her daughter Naomi’s hospital bed in northeast Nigeria, unable to afford the surgery she needs for a kidney condition. Naomi, 27, was one of more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from their school in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, in April 2014, and among the 82 girls freed by the jihadists in May, adding to 24 others who were released or found last year. After months of counselling and medical care in the capital, Abuja, as part of a state rehabilitation programme, the government sponsored the girls…

The Federal High Court, Abuja, has declared the suspension of Senator Ali Ndume by the Senate as illegal and ordered that he be paid all his outstanding salaries and allowances. Justice Babatunde Quadri in his judgment on Friday, set aside the suspension and ordered that Ndume be allowed to resume his duties in the senate as a senator. “The suspension of the plaintiff (Ndume) is hereby declared illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional. The purported suspension contained in the letter of March 30 is hereby set aside. “The first and second defendants (the senate president and the senate) are hereby directed to…

Four people were arrested on Friday for booing Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe while she was addressing a political rally. “I can confirm the arrest of three adult males and a female,” said, Police Spokesman, Charity Charamba. “The President of the Republic of Zimbabwe was the guest of honour at the rally and what they did was tantamount to undermining the authority of the president,” he added. The four allegedly shouted that they hate their president’s wife and booed her when she was speaking in Bulowayo, on Saturday. If convicted they could face a year in jail. READ: Nigerian police…

Nigeria Police in southern Delta state said they killed one suspect and arrested two others accused of involvement in the kidnapping last month of four Britons. Three of the British hostages, Alanna Carson, David Donovan and Shirley Donovan were taken by gunmen on October 13 and were released earlier this week after negotiations, but a fourth, Ian Squire was killed. Delta state police spokesman Andrew Aniamaka said officers arrested two suspects and killed a third after he opened fire, wounding two officers. Aniamaka said two other suspects who were arrested previously led police to the three men. READ: Fashola lectures…

Minster of Power, Works & Housing, Babatunde Fashola says there’s no fact in the $350m fraud allegation levelled against him and the ministry, lecturing them in the process. Fashola in a statement entitled: “Before Perception Becomes Reality,“ on Friday in Abuja, said that the ministry was ready to provide full, factual and detailed response when formally invited by the Senate. The Senate had resolved to summon the minister over alleged diversion of 350 million dollars from the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). Fashola is also being invited before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts to provide a detailed account of…

The Kabba Day drama has taken a new twist as Royal Fathers and Community Leaders of the ancient town insisted Sen. Dino Melaye was told to stay away from the event. Speaking during a courtesy call on Governor Yahaya Bello in Lokoja, Thursday, the President General of the Kabba Development Union, Engr. Emmanuel Ajibero hailed the Governor for his “wisdom and statesmanship”, insisting that the Governor’s decision to tow the path of peace shows he is a “peace loving leader”. The President thanked the Governor for donating 20 million naira towards the completion of the Kabba Civic Center. READ: SEPLAT…

SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Plc, operators of the NPDC/Seplat JV, held the 2017 edition of its annual Safe Moterhhood Programme on November 7 in Sapele, Delta State. The programme is in alignment with the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) of the UN, which promotes good health and well-being. The event which held at Okpe Hall is the fifth edition of the maternal and child health intervention programme which has over the years reduced maternal and infant mortality in the company’s communities of operation and ensured quality health care is provided to pregnant women. According to the World Health Organisation…

Saudi Arabia has announced it will confiscate money and assets held by dozens of top officials and businessmen detained in an anti-corruption crackdown. But the experiences of two other Arab states trying to recover stolen money, Egypt and Tunisia, suggest Riyadh may face years of legal and diplomatic battles to secure assets held abroad. Even then success is not guaranteed. The anti-corruption committee that detained princes, tycoons and ministers at the weekend has the power under a royal decree to take “whatever measures are deemed necessary” to seize companies, funds and other assets without waiting for the results of criminal…

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has said he could leave the club when his contract ends in 2019 to play for his boyhood team Independiente in Argentina. The Argentina international arrived at City in 2011 from La Liga side Atletico Madrid, having started his professional career with the Buenos Aires-based club at the age of 15. READ: Danny Drinkwater reject England call up – Southgate During his six years at the Etihad Stadium, the 29-year-old has been prolific in front of goal and recently surpassed Eric Brook’s tally of 177 goals to become the club’s record scorer. “It came out…

Nigeria plans to raise 710 billion naira ($2.26 bln) via restructuring its equity in joint venture oil assets and increasing private sector participation, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said on Thursday. Oil companies including Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil, operate in Nigeria through joint ventures with NNPC. The government has considered selling stakes in these joint ventures for more than a decade. The current plan was captured in the 2018 budget proposals and is aimed at providing revenue to the government to be used to create new assets, the DMO said in a statement, responding to Moody’s downgrade of…