Author: Chronicle Editor

The Federal Government has declared Monday, October 2 as public holiday in commemoration of the nation’s 57th Independence anniversary on Oct. 1. The Minister of Interior, retired Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the declaration on behalf of the government in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Abubakar Magaji. Magaji said the minister congratulated Nigerians on the occasion, urging them to sustain the collective efforts at strengthening the country’s unity. Read Also Christian heads Syria parliament for first time in decades According to him, Dambazau emphasised government’s commitment to promoting national unity, economic growth and political development…

Nigeria’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it has arrested Ekiti state commissioner for finance, Chief Toyin Ojo and the account general, Mrs O.O Owolabi. They were arrested today in Abuja, during an event by Governor Ayodele Fayose, in which he declared his presidential aspiration in the 2019 election. The ceremony at the Chelsea Hotel in Garki-Abuja, was attended by former senator and deputy governor of Osun State, Iyiola Omisore and a former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, under trial for money laundering by EFCC. Read Also FG rejects US position on IPOB as terrorist group In a…

A Christian legislator was on Thursday elected speaker of parliament in predominantly Muslim Syria for the first time in decades. Hammudeh Sabbagh, a 58-year-old Syriac Orthodox Christian graduate in law and member of President Bashar al-Assad’s Baath party from Hasakeh province in northeast Syria, won 193 votes out of 252 cast, state media reported. He became the first Christian to hold the post since Fares el-Khoury who served multiple terms before and after the French mandate of 1920-1946. Read Also China orders North Korean businesses closed under UN sanctions Before the 2011 outbreak of war in Syria, Christians of 11…

Akin Oyebode, Professor of International Law and Jurisprudence, University of Lagos has warned that “If drastic measures are not put in place urgently to contain it, corruption might ultimately result in the mortality of Nigeria as a nation-state” Oyebode spoke today at a roundtable organized by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in collaboration with the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) held at the Citi Height Hotel, Sheraton Opebi Link Road, Ikeja Lagos. Delivering a paper on Strategies for Mobilizing Mass Action to Demand Anti-Corruption Reforms and an End to Impunity for Grand Corruption in Nigeria insisted that “mass action…

At least 10,000 striking high school and university students rallied in Barcelona on Thursday to defend Catalonia’s right to hold an independence referendum which has been banned by Madrid. The students, many draped in red and yellow Catalan independence flags, gathered outside a building at the University of Barcelona in the centre of the Catalan capital. “We will vote!” and “Independence!” they chanted as they marched along the Gran Via, one of Barcelona’s main avenues, blocking traffic. “The majority of young people are separatists, and if they weren’t, they have become separatist after seeing what Spain has done in recent…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday withdrew its motion seeking a court order to serve the recall petition on Sen. Dino Melaye through substituted means rather than personal service. Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, struck out the motion after INEC’s counsel, Mr Yunus Usman (SAN), announced the withdrawal in court. In striking the motion, Dimgba directed that all issues pertaining to the case should thereafter be taken to the Court of Appeal. He noted that since Melaye’s appeal against the September 11 judgment of the court had been entered at the Appellate court; all…

A 3-year-old girl became Nepal’s new living goddess Thursday, revered by both Hindus and Buddhists in the Himalayan nation. Trishna Shakya was carried in a religious ceremony to a temple palace in the heart of the Nepalese capital where she is to live until just before puberty. She was among four finalists from the Shakya clan for the position of living goddess, called “Kumari.” A panel of Hindu priests took days to select her after checking her horoscope and searching for physical imperfections. As a goddess she should not have any physical flaws. “It is our tradition that after the…

Carlo Ancelotti has been sacked as manager of Bayern Munich following Wednesday’s 3-0 Champions League defeat by Paris St-Germain. The club’s board decided to dismiss the Italian, who replaced Pep Guardiola at the start of last season. Ancelotti, 58, helped Bayern win the Bundesliga last term, but they only reached the last eight of the Champions League and the German Cup semi-finals. Assistant boss Willy Sagnol will take temporary charge. READ: CSKA Moscow 1-4 Man Utd: Romelu Lukaku scores twice in dominant win Bayern, league champions in each of the past five seasons, are third in the German table, three…

China on Thursday ordered North Korean-owned businesses to close, cutting foreign revenue for the isolated North under U.N. sanctions imposed over its nuclear and missile programs. China is North Korea’s main trading partner, making Beijing’s cooperation essential to the success of sanctions imposed in an effort to top the North’s pursuit of weapons technology. China has long been North Korea’s diplomatic protector but has gone along with the latest penalties out of growing frustration with leader Kim Jong Un’s government. North Korean businesses and ventures with Chinese partners must close within 120 days of the Sept. 11 approval of the…

Malaysia has banned its citizens from traveling to North Korea as the country faces increasing diplomatic pressure over its weapons programs. The foreign ministry announced the ban in a statement Thursday and said it would last until further notice. The travel ban could affect an Asian Cup qualifier football match between Malaysia and North Korea scheduled for Oct. 5 in Pyongyang. The match has already been delayed twice due to security issues. The Football Association of Malaysia said it will issue a statement later Thursday, when asked if the team would be allowed to fly to Pyongyang despite the ban.…