Author: Chronicle Editor

Africa’s richest man and Nigeria’s indisputable business leader Aliko Dangote has told a packed room in New York that he is hoping that oil prices will remain low to wean Nigeria away from its dependence. He said agriculture should be the focus of government, as well as gas and minerals, in an effort to diversify the economy. “Agriculture, agriculture, agriculture. Africa will become the food basket of the world,” he said. In a packed room at the headquarters of global law firm Shearman and Sterling LLC high level business leaders and international diplomats invited by the Corporate Council for Africa,…

With the North Korean nuclear crisis looming large, 51 countries on Wednesday lined up to sign a new treaty outlawing nuclear weapons that has been fiercely opposed by the United States and other nuclear powers. The treaty was adopted by 122 countries at the United Nations in July following negotiations led by Austria, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and New Zealand. None of the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons — the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — took part in the negotiations. NATO condemned the treaty, saying that it may in fact be…

Two men were arrested in Wales on Wednesday over last week’s London Underground terror attack in which 30 people were injured, bringing the total number of people in custody to five, police said. The men, aged 48 and 30, were arrested under anti-terrorism legislation in Newport in Wales, police said, after a 25-year-old man was arrested in the same city on Tuesday. “This continues to be a fast-moving investigation,” Dean Haydon, head of counter-terrorism at London’s Metropolitan Police, said in a statement. “We now have five men in custody and searches are continuing at four addresses,” he said. “We anticipate…

GSMA has announced new developments in its Big Data for Social Good initiative, which was launched in February 2017 to leverage mobile operators’ big data capabilities in addressing epidemics and humanitarian crises. The announcement was made at the United Nations General Assembly Week in New York, United States on Wednesday, 20 September. Megafon, Safaricom and Telenet have signed on to the initiative, joining previously announced operators Bharti Airtel, Deutsche Telekom, Hutchison, KDDI, KT Corporation, Millicom, MTS, NTT DOCOMO. Others are INC., Orange, SK Telecom, Telefónica, Telenor Group, Telia, Turkcell, Vodafone and Zain. The Big Data for Social Good initiative is…

A 40 year old-man, Balarabe Adamu stabbed himself and jumped into a well on Tuesday at Rijiyar Zaki Quarters of Ungogo Local Government, Kano, official reports. Alhaji Mustafa Rilwan, Director of Kano State Fire Service, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the man was rescued after jumping into the waterwell but he later died at Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano. READ: Nigerian fashion magazine stirs debate about men in skirts He said that a neighbour raised an alarm and informed the state Fire Service Balarabe had jumped inside the well after stabbing himself. “Upon receiving the information, we…

Nigerians who say a new online fashion magazine promotes homosexuality by featuring men wearing makeup or clad only in miniskirts have misunderstood its agenda, according to its founder. Homosexual acts are banned in Nigeria carrying a penalty of up to 14 years in prison and the magazine, called A Nasty Boy, has provoked strong reactions from some Nigerians since it started in February in the commercial capital Lagos. “Nasty Boy is not a gay publication,” said Richard Akuson, its founder and editorial director told Reuters. READ: Court remands alleged Boko Haram member in prison It is “an issue-based fashion publication…

Karim Benzema has committed his future to Real Madrid by signing a new four-year deal. The French forward extended his stay at La Liga club until June 30 2021. Vice-captain Marcelo, Isco and Dani Carvajal have all extended their deals to remain until 2022 over the past week with Real rewarding key members of the squad. The 29-year-old joined Madrid from Lyon for £25m in 2009 and has gone to help the team win 14 trophies. Read Also Zidane signs new Real Madrid contract His deal was set to run out in 2019 but his contract extension means he will…

A Lokoja Chief Magistrate Court has ordered the remand of a suspected Boko Haram member, Mustapha Adinoyi over alleged involvement in terrorist activities and illegal possession of firearms. Chief Magistrate Levi Animoku, who gave the order after the state Counsel had arraigned the accused in Lokoja, described the alleged offence as “a fearful one”. He said that Boko Haram activities had claimed lives of many Nigerians adding, that ”Bail is not granted as a matter of course. The offence is grievous and carries high penalty. “The presumptuous of innocence notwithstanding, I refuse the bail of the accused. Consequently, the accused…

A total of 35 foreign companies have indicated interest to participate at the 12th Abuja International Trade Fair, scheduled to hold from Sept. 21 – Oct. 7, an official has said. Mrs Tonia Shoyele, Director, Membership and Business Development of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), made the disclosure at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja. “There are about 35 countries coming in, the various embassies in Nigeria are sending representatives, they have all obtained their booths, all the states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will also be present. “The innovation is the fact that we now…

‘Nigeria will protect democracy under my leadership’ President Muhammadu Buhari has called for a United Nations delegation to urgently negotiate with North Korea over the development of accelerated nuclear weapons by the country. Addressing the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly yesterday in New York, United States, Buhari said all necessary pressure and diplomatic efforts must be brought to bear on North Korea to accept a peaceful resolution of the crisis as, since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, the world has never come so close to the threat of nuclear war as it is now. “As Hiroshima…