Author: Chronicle Editor

Chelsea will enter the race to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal, with Liverpool and Manchester City also interested in the 23-year-old England midfielder. (Mirror) Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 32, will not hold Manchester United to ransom over his wage demands to make sure a transfer can go through this summer. (Sun) Alternatively, Manchester United have serious reservations about re-signing the Portugal captain. (Daily Express) And United manager Jose Mourinho has ruled out a move for Ronaldo. (Daily Star) Spanish champions Real Madrid have received no offers for any of their players – including Spain striker Alvaro Morata, a target…

Nigeria’s acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo hosted northern traditional rulers including His Eminence Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III; Emir of Kano, Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II; Lamido of Adamawa, Muhammadu Barkindo to iftar. The ceremony which held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital was well attended by other northern traditional rulers. Iftar is the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan. Osinbajo’s spokesperson, Laolu Akande had earlier communicated the meeting. Tonight AgP Osinbajo would be holding Iftar dinner with Northern traditional rulers & tomorrow continue ongoing consultations with them.— Laolu Akande (@akandeoj) June 19, 2017…

Tell Communications Ltd. has honoured the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta with the ”Tell CEO Of The Year 2016” award for regulatory consistency. Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, the President of Tell, Nosa Igiebor said that Danbatta was honoured for raising the bar from the mandates he met the commission when he assumed office two years ago. He said that every EVC of NCC seemed to have been well chosen and each of them including the incumbent EVC had built on the legacy of the predecessor. “That is why unlike the other public institutions;…

An amorous couple died after their off road vehicle rolled into a lake while they had sex, say police. The 22 year olds could not escape from their Russian-made Niva as it sank, and they tragically drowned on the vehicle’s back seat. The school physical education teacher and his girlfriend had earlier driven to the lake in Volograd region, but worried relatives later reported them missing when they failed to return. The couple were named as Evgeny Chernov and Yana Kryuchkova. “The car was lifted out of the lake and the bodies of the young people were found on the…

Croatian authorities have launched an investigation on the captain of the national football team, Luka Modric. The midfielder, who also plays for Real Madrid, is suspected of making false statements at the tax fraud trial of Zdravko Mamic, his former manager. He could not immediately be reached for comment, Reuters news agency reports. Mr Mamic, a powerful figure in Croatian football, was Mr Modric’s boss at leading club Dinamo Zagreb. Mr Mamic, his brother Zoran Mamic, and two others are accused of corruption that reportedly cost Dinamo Zagreb more than 15m euros (£13.1m; $16.7m), and the state 1.5m euros. Video…

FIFA has defended the use of video assistant referees (VARs) in the Confederations Cup, saying the technology is ‘the future of football’. The system has been used five times in Russia so far, causing confusion for spectators at times. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “We have seen how video assistance has helped referees to make the correct decisions. “This is a milestone tournament. VAR is the future of modern football.” Video assistance was introduced for the first time in a Fifa competition at the Club World Cup in Japan last December and is being used in select competitions. Florentino Perez…

The move to recall the senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye may have gotten to new heights as voters in his senatorial district are said to have signed the document initiating his recall. A total of 188, 588 voters, representing 52.3 per cent of the total number of registered voters in Kogi West senatorial district have approved the recall of Melaye. The Special Adviser to the state governor on political affairs, Mr Pius Kolawole announced this on Monday in Lokoja while addressing party members from the district. Nigeria to prioritise salaries, pension in 2017 budget He said that the collation…

Despite pressure on government to improve spending on capital projects to bridge the infrastructure deficit, the federal government has said that payment of salaries and pension remains a priority. The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma, made this known on Monday in Abuja at the public presentation of the 2017 Appropriation Act. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2017 budget of N7.44 trillion has as components, N2.99 trillion for recurrent expenditure, N2.36 trillion capital expenditure and N1.66 trillion for debt servicing. Statistics given by the minister showed that N1.88 trillion, which was 63…

Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu has said that the Federal Government and its functions must be trimmed if the country is to be administered effectively. This is even as he stated clearly that the solution to Nigeria’s security situation was the decentralisation of the Police and allowing state police to operate. Speaking in an interview with newsmen, he said that the federal government as currently constitution was too large and difficult to operate. The video of the interview was made available on the twitter handle of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: @NGRSenate. Watch Deputy…

Former Plateau Governor, Joshua Dariye, on Monday begged an FCT High Court in Gudu to adjourn his trial over alleged N1.1 billion scam on medical grounds. Dariye, who is facing a 21-count charge of money laundering and diversion of state ecological fund to the tune of N1.162 billion, prayed the court for adjournment to enable him travel abroad for eye treatment. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on March 20, 2017, Dariye’s former counsel, Mr Garba Pwul (SAN) withdrew officially from further representation. Pwul was the third lawyer to pull out from the Dariye’s matter. Lassa Fever kills…