Author: Chronicle Editor

The Federal Government has described as “unfortunate” and “unacceptable,” the position of the U.S. Government over the declaration of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the government position Wednesday night in London when he featured on BBC Television programme, “Focus on Africa”. The Minister, who stressed that the Federal Government was right in declaring IPOB a terrorist organisation, noted that he could not make up with the U.S. seemingly disagreement with the position. “It is very unfortunate, if countries decide to pick and choose which organisations…

The Kogi State Government has urged labour unions in the state to stop their “unrelenting blackmail and promotion of falsehood against government,” saying it has remained “consistently committed to workers’ welfare.” Reacting to a bulletin by the striking labour unions in the state, the Director General on Media and Publicity to the Governor, Kingsley Fanwo accused labour of carrying out the “hatchet job of failed political warlords from the state.” “The tyranny of labour’s blackmail and campaign of calumny against government has clearly shown there are some underbelly factors surrounding the industrial disagreement between it and government in the state.…

Hugh Hefner, the silk pyjamas-wearing founder of Playboy who helped steer nudity into the American mainstream, died Wednesday, the magazine announced. He was 91 years old. Hefner, who in 1953 founded a trailblazing brand that would help usher in the 20th century’s shifting attitude towards sexuality, died of natural causes in his Beverly Hills home — the famed Playboy Mansion — according to a statement from Playboy Enterprises. The consummate playboy outlived both the sexual revolution he fought for but also some of the famous buxom pin-ups to grace his groundbreaking magazine’s centre-fold. A self-proclaimed master of marketing, Hefner’s skill…

Donald Trump’s son-in-law and top aide, Jared Kushner, has been registered to vote as a woman for eight years, US media reported. Voter information records held by New York show the presidential adviser — whose portfolio includes everything from seeking peace in the Middle East to reining in the opioid crisis in the United States — was registered as “female.” The screenshot, published by Wired, is not the first time the young statesman has fallen foul of bureaucracy. Kushner, who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, also filled out paperwork for his White House security clearance wrongly and had to…

Romelu Lukaku scored twice as a dominant Manchester United won 4-1 at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League group stage on Wednesday. Lukaku claimed his ninth and 10th goals of the season for United with a header and a close-range finish either side of Anthony Martial’s penalty as United went into the break 3-0 up. Henrikh Mkhitaryan made it 4-0 after the break with a rebounded effort, and if it wasn’t for home goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev making a string of saves, it could have ended much worst for CSKA, who grabbed a late consolation through 19-year-old substitute Konstantin Kuchaev. The…

Michy Batshuayi popped up with another crucial Chelsea goal as his 93rd-minute strike sealed a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. With Diego Costa watching on from the stands, Batshuayi, who scored the title-winning goal for Antonio Conte’s side at West Brom last season, turned home a cross with the last kick of what was a compelling encounter which Chelsea edged. Antoine Griezmann had fired Atletico ahead from the spot in the Wanda Metropolitano, which was hosting Champions League football for the first time. However, Chelsea always looked a threat and Alvaro Morata headed his seventh goal…

Workers in Kogi have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue them from their current hardship resulting from non-payment of their salaries, by sending them food, drugs and other materials. The workers made the appeal on Wednesday in Lokoja in a statement jointly issued by the state chapters of the NLC, TUC and the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC). Messrs Olakunle Faniyi, Kolawole James and Isah Abubakar, Secretaries of NLC, TUC and JPSNC respectively, signed the statement which was circulated to media houses. According to them, Buhari should direct the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other humanitarian agencies…

The House of Representatives on Wednesday invited the Nigeria Customs Service and the Department of State Service (DSS) to brief it on the influx of small arms and light weapons into the country. This was sequel to a motion under Matters of Public Importance by Mr Obinna Chidoka (Anambra-PDP) to ascertain the cause(s) of the influx and how to stop it. Chidoka said that the Customs had on four occasions this year intercepted firearms, totalling 2,671 pieces, smuggled into the country since January. He said that a set of firearms was seized in May while the third and fourth were…

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday gave a presidential committee two weeks to conclude arrangements towards scaling down Nigeria’s membership of international organizations. Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, said the FEC had proposed reduction of Nigeria’s membership of international organizations from 310 to 220. Adeosun was accompanied to the briefing by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu. According to her, ministers have been asked to go…

Steven Seagal who is now a Russian citizen slammed NFL players who took a knee during the national anthem and has also defended President Trump and Putin. “I believe in free speech, I believe that everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but I don’t agree that they should hold the United States of America or the world hostage by taking a venue where people are tuning in to watch a football game and imposing their political views,” Seagal said during a Wednesday appearance on ITV’s “Good Morning Britain.” Several NFL players kneeled during the national anthem at football games this…