Author: Chronicle Editor

Australian Open champion Roger Federer beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4 7-5 in an all-Swiss final to win the BNP Paribas Open – his fifth Indian Wells triumph. World number 10 Federer claimed the first set before being broken for the first time at this year’s tournament in the first game of the second set. Wawrinka, the world number three, went 2-0 ahead before Federer won three games in a row on his way to the title. Elena Vesnina beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-4 in the women’s final. Federer becomes the oldest champion in the tournament’s history, surpassing Jimmy Connors,…

Expression of interest by prospective investors in the country’s bitumen project would commence in June, the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, has disclosed. Speaking in Abeokuta during his tour of mining sites in Ogun State at the weekend, Mr. Fayemi said government was working with the consulting firm of PriceWaterHouseCoopers, to actualise the commencement of the process. Nigeria is reputed to have the second largest deposit of bitumen in the world, spanning approximately 120 kilometres in Ogun, Ondo, Lagos and Edo States. The Minister, who visited the Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, prior to the tour, urged…

Governor Seriake Dickson, the Chairman of the PDP Reconciliation Committee, has called on the Ahmed Makarfi-led Caretaker Committee to step down in the interest of the party. The Bayelsa governor made the call while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Abuja. Mr. Dickson said the stage was now set for all the chieftains and elders of the party to impress it on the caretaker committee to cede its authority to the Ali Sheriff-led leadership. “When the idea of making Sheriff the National Chairman of our party was hatched, I personally kicked against it. “I also turned down all the overtures…

Mountain of Fire striker Stephen Odey has eclipsed his goal scoring record last year, by netting 10 goals for the club. He scored two of the goals today by recording a brace against league leaders Plateau United in the MatchDay 14 played in Agege Stadium, Lagos. Odey’s 10 goals is the highest by any player in the 2016/2017 Nigerian Professional Football League season. Four of the goals came with an assist by team mate, Sikiru Olatunbosun, which according to NPFL Statistics is also the highest assist in the league. Olatunbosun himself had created a web sensation when his goal against…

ThinTallTony was evicted on Sunday at the ongoing Big Brother Nigeria (#BBNaija) reality show, while Efe, Debie-rise and Tboss were saved by viewers. The News Agency of News (NAN) reports that Efe, ThinTallTony, TBoss and Debie-rise were put up for nomination for possible eviction in the reality show during the week. The housemate with the least votes from viewers and fans became eligible for eviction from the house. ThinTallTony scored the lowest vote, 11.68 per cent of the votes and thus was shown the door in the programme beamed live on DSTV cable network. He became the seventh housemate to…

Manchester City and Liverpool had to settle for a point apiece as they battled out a thrilling draw at Etihad Stadium. A hugely entertaining game was littered with talking points, astonishing misses and a sense of injustice for both sides as they felt they were on the receiving end of debatable decisions from referee Michael Oliver. James Milner put Liverpool ahead against his former club with a penalty six minutes after the break, after Gael Clichy was penalised for a raised boot on Roberto Firmino. Sergio Aguero scored against Liverpool for the fifth successive Premier League game at Etihad Stadium…

Tottenham overcame the absence of leading scorer Harry Kane to secure a hard-fought win over Southampton that ensures they remain second in the table heading into the international break. Goals from Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli – the latter a penalty – in an effective display underlined that Spurs are more than just their talismanic 24-goal striker. The win extends Tottenham’s club-record run of successive home Premier League wins to 10, the same number of points by which they trail leaders Chelsea. Southampton lost in-form striker Manolo Gabbiadini to injury in the first half but gave a good account of…

Ifeanyi Ubah, the chairman of Capital Oil and Gas Industries Ltd has called for a reconciliation of the company’s account with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Ubah, made the call on Sunday in Lagos, in the wake of the allegation by the NNPC that his company could not account for 100 million litres of petrol stored in its depot in Lagos. The NNPC similarly accused the MRS, but said the company had returned 30 million litres that it initially diverted. Ubah described the allegation against his company as mischievous and misleading. Ubah said the NNPC also failed to tell…

The Borno State Police Command on Sunday confirmed the death of four persons after an attempt by some suspected suicide bombers to infiltrate Maiduguri in Borno. Mr Victor Isuku, the spokesman of the command said in a statement in Maiduguri that three bombers had attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri at about 9.00 p.m. on Saturday. “At about 2100hrs of Saturday, three suicide bombers, a male and two female, attempted to infiltrate Maiduguri town through Umarari village in Molai general area. “They were sighted and challenged by civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) member, a government-approved militia group,’’ Isuku stated. He said the…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abuja zone has decried the reoccurring cut in the personnel cost allocations to Federal Universities across the country. ASUU’s Abuja Zonal Coordinator, Dr Theophilus Lagi, expressed the union’s displeasure while briefing newsmen shortly after the zonal meeting at Lapai, Niger State. The Abuja zone comprises University of Abuja, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai and Federal University, Lafia. Lagi said that the issue of shortfall in salaries of members across all Federal Universities which began in December, 2015, had become a pattern employed by the…