Author: Chronicle Editor

A group of Democratic members of Congress are playing the clever acronym game again. One of the latest to be introduced and to target the Trump administration: the “Making Access Records Available to Lead American Government Openness Act.” Yes, the “MAR-A-LAGO Act.” The legislation would require the publication of White House visitor logs, something that was done regularly by the Obama administration but has since ended since President Trump took office. It would also mandate the release of visitor logs at other locations where the president conducts business — for example, Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida resort that he has recently called…

The surplus supply of dollars has again jolted speculators and caused a further increase in value of the Naira. The foreign exchange market closed on Friday without selling off all the foreign currency released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Fresh 100 million dollars was released at the interbank market to meet customers’ demands, but the dealers were only able to pick about 81.35 million dollars, leaving surplus. Mr Isaac Okorafor, the Acting Director, Corporate Communications, CBN, attributed the inability of authorised dealers to pick up the entire offer of the CBN to increasing dollar supply. In a statement,…

The U.S. House of Representatives shelved a vote scheduled for Friday afternoon to bury Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare and replace with President Donald Trump’s American Health Care Act. News reports said the Republican dominated lower house shelved the vote because the party couldn’t find the votes needed to send it on to the Senate. The House vote was first set for Thursday, scrapped, rescheduled for Friday and scrapped again following a tumultuous 24 hours that saw President Donald Trump and his party mount a final push to get the replacement package for the Affordable Care Act through the…

The Naira on Friday in Lagos consolidated its position against the dollar at the parallel market, ending the week stronger. The Nigerian currency on Friday afternoon exchanged between N380 (buying rate) and N390 (selling rate), stronger than N400 recorded on Thursday, while the pound sterling and Euro closed at N490 and N430. At the Bureau De Change (BDC) window, the Naira was sold at N399 to the dollar, while the pound sterling and the Euro were sold at N500 and N400. The Nigerian currency appreciated at the interbank market, closing at N307 to the dollar, from N308 posted on Thursday.…

Claressa Shields said she knew when she was 15 years old that she was going to be the best female boxer in the world. Two years later, when the American won middleweight gold at London 2012, she proved it. At Rio 2016, she became the first American boxer to successfully defend an Olympic title and achieved another milestone this month when she was the first woman to headline a boxing show on a premium network in the United States. My Childhood I was born in Flint, Michigan in 1995, but I didn’t start talking until I was five. By then,…

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been banned for three European matches after being sent off against Gent at Wembley in the Europa League in February. Alli was dismissed for a challenge on Brecht Dejaegere in the 2-2 draw. Should Spurs secure a top-three Premier League finish, Alli would miss half of their Champions League group campaign. Meanwhile, Arsenal have been fined £4,300 after some of their fans ran onto the pitch during the 5-1 Champions League home defeat by Bayern Munich. Uefa has also fined Bayern Munich £2,600 after their supporters delayed the tie at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium by throwing…

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, has said he has nothing to do with the N1.3 billion grass cutting contract awarded to a firm in which he is signatory to which the Senate Panel is investigating. Reacting to reports in two national dailies, in a statement signed by the Director of Press in his office, Bolaji Adebiyi, Lawal appealed to Nigerians to ignore what he termed ‘misconception’, saying all contracts like the one under investigation went through due process in public expenditure. He described as misleading the headlines “SGF to Explain how fake firms got…

Tse-Achia, a village near Kasar in the outskirts of Zaki Biam, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue has come under attack. The Police said in Makurdi on Friday confirmed that the village was burnt during the attack. The attack on Tse-Achia village is coming few days after Zaki Biam Yam Market was razed by hoodlums leading to the death of 17 people and 11 others injured. The Police Public Relations Officer in the State, ASP Moses Yanmu, said the arsonists carried out the attack in the early hours of Friday. Yanmu said four houses were burnt while three persons, including…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to warn Nigeria its economy needs urgent reform, according to a report seen by Reuters that could delay talks over $1.4 billion in much-needed international loans. The Washington-based fund will urge Nigeria, a major oil producer, to introduce immediate changes to its exchange rate policy and say its recent reform plan is not enough to drag Africa’s biggest economy out of recession, according to the 68-page report. “Much more needs to be done,” the IMF said in the document, written after a final meeting between its representatives and top officials in the capital…

The World Health Organization said Friday, 116 million children are to receive polio vaccines in 13 countries in west and central Africa as part of efforts to eradicate the disease on the continent. “The synchronised vaccination campaign, one of the largest of its kind ever implemented in Africa, is part of urgent measures to permanently stop polio on the continent,” the WHO said. The programme will see all children under the age of five in 13 countries immunised from Saturday “in a coordinated effort to raise childhood immunity to polio,” it added. The countries are Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic,…