Author: Chronicle Editor

Kaduna State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on parts of the state, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, after clashes killed at least 14 in the region. Conflict over grazing land and water, chiefly between semi-nomadic Muslim herders and Christian farmers, has piled pressure on authorities already facing an Islamist insurgency in its northeast and rebels in the oil-rich south. Gunmen shot dead at least 14 villagers and destroyed property in an attack on the Kaura village of Takad in southern Kaduna state on Monday, said Enock Andong, a local community leader to Reuters. As a result of violence…

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) took a step nearer to outright devaluation of the naira currency on Tuesday, providing 23 commercial banks with a combined $370.8 million at forward exchange rates up to 15 per cent weaker than the official rate. On Monday, the CBN effectively devalued the local currency for private individuals, who account for about 20 per cent of total foreign exchange demand in the country. On Tuesday, it said it sold dollars using one- and two-month forward exchange rates to commercial banks whose bids ranged from 315 naira to 360 naira per dollar, up to 15 per…

Manchester City “will be eliminated” if they do not score in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie with Monaco, says manager Pep Guardiola. City, who came from behind twice to beat the French league leaders 5-3 in a pulsating first leg at the Etihad Stadium, play the return on 15 March. “We are going to fly to Monaco to score as many goals as possible,” Guardiola said afterwards. “That is my target. It is impossible to progress if we don’t score a goal.” Monaco led 2-1 and 3-2 before City fought back to clinch a thrilling victory…

United States President Donald Trump has named Lt Gen HR McMaster as his national security adviser. He will replace Lt Gen Michael Flynn who was fired after just three weeks and three days in the job. A lieutenant general with the US Army, HR McMaster served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked on a government anti-corruption drive. Mr Trump’s first choice, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, turned down the role, citing “personal reasons”. Who is Lt Gen HR McMaster? Mr Trump has praised Herbert Raymond McMaster as “a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience” who is “highly respected…

Nigeria’s Football Federation is backing a challenge to the long-serving President of the Confederation of African Football, Issa Hayatou. Mr Hayatou is standing for an eighth successive term of office, but faces opposition from Ahmad Ahmad, the head of Madagascar’s FA. Amaju Pinnick, president of the NFF, told the BBC the election will be “a defining moment for African football”. He said Ahmad was “courageous” in coming forward to challenge Mr Hayatou. Pinnick said CAF needs a “new generation” of leadership, following the change at the top of the world governing body Fifa. He cited “post election differences between Gianni…

President Muhammadu Buhari has alleviated the fears of many Nigerians by explaining why he is staying longer than planned in London, United Kingdom. The President assured Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm concerning his health. In a statement issued on Tuesday, President Buhari, who is in London thanked millions of Nigerians who have been sending good wishes and praying for his health and well-being in mosques and churches throughout the country. According to Presidential media adviser, Femi Adesina, “the President is immensely grateful for the prayers, show of love and concern.” “President Buhari wishes to reassure Nigerians that…

ntel, Nigeria’s most advanced 4G/LTE mobile network operator has formally announced the commencement of commercial operations in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. In a letter to Port Harcourt subscribers, Kamar Abass, CEO of ntel, wrote “I am delighted to announce that beginning Thursday December 1, 2016 you can pick up and activate your ntel SIM here in Port Harcourt. “We will give priority to those of you who pre-registered your preferred numbers during our number registration campaign.” In the weeks ahead, our branded stores located at 278 Aba road and 36 old Aba road would be up and running with the…

Nigeria’s Communications Minister Adebayo Shittu has urged South Africa’s MTN to list its shares on the local stock market. Speaking to MTN executives at an event organised by the telco, Shittu urged the company to do ‘the needful’. Africa’s biggest mobile phone operator has said it aims to list its Nigerian unit on the local bourse but has given no date. “I want to appeal to you that you do the utmost and do the needful to ensure that you get onto the Nigerian stock exchange,” Shittu said. MTN had threatened to pull out of Nigeria last year during a…

Nigeria on Monday urged the African Union, AU, to step in to stop what it said were “xenophobic attacks” on its citizens and other Africans in South Africa. The presidency said there was a need for the continental body to “intervene urgently,” claiming that in the last two years “about 116” Nigerians had been killed, including 20 last year. “This is unacceptable to the people and government of Nigeria,” a senior presidential aide on foreign affairs, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said in an emailed statement. There was no independent verification of the claimed number of deaths, which may have been the result…

Almost half a million Nigerian children stand the risk of dying this year from famine, the UN children’s agency, (UNICEF) said Monday. The agency also stated that and over 800,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition could die this year Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen. In Yemen, where war has been raging for nearly two years, 462,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition while 450,000 children are severely malnourished in northeast Nigeria. Fews Net, the famine early warning system, said some remote areas of Nigeria’s Borno state are already affected by famine since late last year and the disaster is likely…