Author: Chronicle Editor

Many Tanzanians have condemned President John Magufuli’s comments that schoolgirls who give birth should not be allowed to return to school. An online petition has been set up to get the president to reverse his comments. Mr Magufuli warned schoolgirls at a rally on Monday that: “After getting pregnant, you are done.” A law passed in 2002 allows for expulsion of pregnant schoolgirls. The law says the girls can be expelled and excluded from school for “offences against morality” and “wedlock”. Insight: How Etisalat loan will affect the banks Mr Magufuli, who was speaking at a public rally in Chalinze…

A leading stockbroking firm in Lagos provides an insight into the Etisalat loan imbroglio and how a default will affect the 13 Nigerian banks especially GTB and Fidelity banks. Etisalat Group issued a press release yesterday saying that Nigerian associate, Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services (EMTS) received a security enforcement notice on June 9, requesting for EMTS to transfer its Etisalat Nigeria stake to United Capital Trustees Limited, the legal representative of the consortium of exposed banks. Etisalat Group owns 45% ordinary shares and 25% preference shares in Etisalat Nigeria. PDP praise Osinbajo for dousing tension in Nigeria Etisalat Nigeria, Nigeria’s…

Football star Lionel Messi could avoid a 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud by paying a fine, Spanish media are reporting. Spain’s state prosecutor would swap jail time for a fine of €255,000 ($285,000; £224,000), which equates to €400 for each day behind bars. The final decision on the fine rests in the hands of the Spanish courts. Messi, along with his father Jorge, was found guilty of defrauding Spain of €4.1m between 2007 and 2009. The court in Barcelona found they used tax havens in Belize and Uruguay. As well as the jail terms, the Barcelona star and Argentina…

Liverpool have completed the 39m euro (£34m) signing of Roma’s former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian, 25, has signed a five-year deal and has been a prime target for manager Jurgen Klopp. At current exchange rates, the fee is short of the club record £35m paid for Andy Carroll in 2011 but matches the sum they spent in 2016 to make Sadio Mane the most expensive African player. Salah almost joined Liverpool from Basle in 2014 before moving to Chelsea. READ: Bayern threaten to report Chelsea, Man Utd over Lewandowski Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said: “He has the perfect…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commended acting President Yemi Osinbajo on steps he had taken to douse tension in the country occasioned by “hate speeches”. Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, Chairman, PDP National Caretaker Committee, said at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja, that Osinbajo deserved to the commended. Makarfi, a factional leader of the party, however, called on government to build on the efforts by making all sections to be viable and operate an inclusive government. He advised the government to ensure that its programmes, policies and steps were tailored in a manner that no section of this country…

Strong indications emerged on Wednesday that consortium of 13 banks, involved in Etisalat Nigeria’s 1.2 billion dollar loan is seeking the Federal Government’s intervention to investigate the management. A management source close to the banks told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the banks want the government, through the EFCC, to wade into the matter, by investigating what the company did with the loan. The source alleged that the loans were siphoned and needed to be investigated by the EFCC, noting, there was no proof of what the company did with the loan. He said that the…

Breastfeeding is not only healthy for babies, it may also reduce a mother’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke later in life. This is the conclusion of a new study of 300,000 Chinese women published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association. According to Xinhua, the Chinese news agency, women who breastfed their babies had about a 10 percent lower risk of developing heart disease or stroke compared to those who did not. The study said the longer mothers breastfed, the greater effects they had. “The findings should encourage more widespread breastfeeding for the benefit of…

An Agege Customary Court, Lagos, on Wednesday dissolved the 10-year-old marriage between Adebisi and her husband, Olatunji Abiodun, over constant battering by the husband and his audacity to give their daughter tribal marks. Adebisi had on March 31, 2016, approached the court seeking the dissolution of the marriage, also said the husband was unfaithful and irresponsible. The President of the court, Mr Phillips Williams, who gave the verdict, said the marriage had broken down irretrievably. “Once the two parties have consented to the dissolution of their marriage, then there is evidence that the relationship has broken down irretrievably. “Therefore, the…

A Katsina State High Court has fixed October 3, to hear a case filed by a former Majority Leader, Katsina State House of Assembly, Sani Liti-‘Yankwani, challenging his trial at an Upper Shari’ah Court for defamation. The former house leader was dragged to the Sharia court by Senator Abu Ibrahim, who instituted direct criminal complaint against him. The senator had accused Liti-‘Yankwani of portraying him as a liar, thereby attempting to damage his political career and incite the people against him. Ibrahim had cited four newspaper publications in which the former majority leader allegedly made the remarks, which according to…

Bayern Munich have warned rival clubs they will be reported to FIFA if any illegal approach is made over their striker Robert Lewandowski. Chelsea and Manchester United have both been credited with interest in the Poland international with enquiries understood to have been made over the past week after Lewandowski’s agent reported that he was not happy. A club statement read: ‘Lewandowski’s contract expires 2021, he signed it not long ago. “Lewandowski does not want to leave Bayern. There are no talks with other clubs and there won’t be any. Chelsea favourites to sign Lewandowski, Alves agree Man City deal…