Author: Chronicle Editor

Tunisia have moved top of Fifa’s African rankings for the first time in 15 years. The last time the North Africans were ranked the best team on the continent was back in January 2002, a position the Carthage Eagles had assumed the previous July. Managed by Nabil Maaloul, Tunisia – who need just a point at home to Libya next month to qualify for the World Cup – replace Egypt at the top of the African standings. Nigeria move up to 41st in latest FIFA rankings The Super Eagles of Nigeria have also moved up on the latest rankings. Having…

Nigeria moved up to the 41st position in the World and retained the fifth in Africa in the latest FIFA Coca-Cola world rankings. The rankings released by the World Football governing body showed that Nigeria moved up three places from the 44th position in September, but maintained the fifth spot in Africa. It said that Nigeria had 721 points compared to the 696 in September. The report said that Tunisia became the new number in Africa and 28th in the world with 834 points while the former number on the continent, Egypt came second and 30th in the world with…

Ihietutu community in Ishiagu Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi, on Monday disbursed N2 million bursary to students in various institutions of higher learning from the area. The Chairman, Ihietutu Development Union, Mr Paulinus Okoro, who disbursed the money, said the gesture was to encourage students of the community to pursue their education with less stress. According to him, no fewer than 70 undergraduates of universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and related institutions received the bursary award. The chairman explained that the N2 million released for the bursary was part of the development funds paid as royalties by companies operating…

Conjoined twins born in a remote village in the Democratic Republic of Congo have survived a 15-hour journey on the back of a motorbike to be separated. They were then flown to the capital, Kinshasa, where they were operated on by a team of volunteer surgeons. In total, the one-week-old girls had to endure an 870-mile (1,400km) round trip across jungle, on treacherous roads and by air. The twins are now being monitored. The babies – Anick and Destin – will return to their village in three weeks. They were born at 37 weeks in August, were joined at the…

Nigeria’s government plans to accelerate its revenue strategy aimed at diversifying Africa’s biggest economy away from its reliance on crude oil sales now that it has emerged from recession, the finance minister said on Sunday. The OPEC member’s economy grew in the second quarter, climbing out of its first recession in 25 years, as oil revenues rose. But the pace of growth was slow, 0.55 percent year-on-year, suggesting the recovery remains fragile. Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun said restructuring the debt portfolio into longer term maturities by borrowing more offshore, along with a record 7.44 trillion naira ($24.38 billion) 2017 budget,…

Antonio Conte has warned that Chelsea will find it difficult to defend the title after their shock defeat by Crystal Palace and questioned whether his squad is strong enough to compete on several fronts. In an echo of his frustration in the summer about the club’s failure to acquire a number of key transfer targets in preparation for their involvement in the Champions League Chelsea’s manager bemoaned his team’s lack of depth after an insipid performance away to the Premier League’s bottom side led to the champions slipping nine points behind Manchester City at the top. Conte’s dissatisfaction was clear.…

The former international footballer George Weah and Liberia’s vice-president, Joseph Boakai, will face a runoff for the country’s presidency on 7 November, the electoral commission announced on Sunday. With tallies in from 95.6% of polling stations, Weah took 39% of the votes and Boakai 29.1%, both well short of the 50% barrier required to win outright from the first round of voting held on Tuesday. Whoever wins the second round of voting will replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state, who is stepping down as president after a maximum of two terms. Jerome Korkoya, the chairman…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Kingdom Summit 2017 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), blamed the Church for not speaking out against corruption. Osinbajo, who was at the Kings Court Parish, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Sunday, remarked that corruption in the country still existed because the church had failed to speak against. They failed to speak against graft simply because those involved in graft had relationships with them. Osinbajo also urged Christians against putting tribe above other things. He said that at creation, there was no difference in the nature of man and everyone related in an…

Senate President Bukola Saraki, says it is the collective responsibility of world leaders to combat terrorism, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to the fight. Saraki said this during bilateral meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, Ali, Larijani, at the 137th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in St. Petersburg, Russia on Monday. The senate president said time has come for all world leaders to join forces to eliminate “the greatest enemy”. He said,“ there must be a common goal and direction in the fight against terrorism. The fight against terrorism is the responsibility of all leaders as it is the greatest enemy…

The Kwara Government said on Monday that no fewer than 200,000 people have been vaccinated within three days of the ongoing yellow fever reactive vaccination in the state. Dr Sulaiman Alege, the Commissioner for Health, who gave the figure to newsmen in Ilorin, said 960,000 doses of the vaccine would be administered in nine communities in the state. “The vaccination is taking place in Ifelodun Local Government and eight others, comprising Isin, Ilorin South, Ilorin East, Irepodun, Oke-Ero and others. “About 960,000 vaccines has been deployed, and for now, we have immunised close to 200,000 people in the first three…