Author: Chronicle Editor

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced January 24 as the commencement date Prospective Corps Members (PCM) of Batch B stream II Orientation camp. This was contained in statement signed by the management. The scheme made the announcement after several lamentations by Prospective Corps Members. The statement reads “The NYSC Management wishes to inform prospective Corps members and other stakeholders that the 2016 Batch ‘B’ (Stream II) Orientation course will commence on Tuesday, 24th January, 2017. “The lineup of activities for the course is shown below: a. Tue 24th – Wed 25th, Jan 2017- Registration/verification exercise b. Thursday, 26th…

Six Nigerian states, among them Ogun, will from this week implement the Federal Government sponsored Homegrown school feeding programme. Mr Laolu Akande, the Vice President’s spokesman disclosed this on Sunday. The states apart from Ogun are Oyo, Ebonyi, Enugu and Osun. They joined Anambra which began the programme last year. He said from this week, primary school pupils in those states will start enjoying one hot meal a day. At least 5.5 million Nigerian primary school pupils would be fed for 200 school days under the free Homegrown School Feeding Programme, according to the 2016 Budget, which has an allocation…

The Ivorian international striker Didier Drogba, 38, is in advanced talks with Brazilian club, Corinthians Paulista, Jeune Afrique has reported. The newspaper believes that his move will be wrapped up soon. Drogba has not been affiliated to a club since December when he left Canadian side Impact de Montreal. Now, he could be donning a Corinthians Paulista’s jersey for the 2017 season. The Ivorian had preferred a return to Olympique de Marseille where he rose to stardom during the 2003-2004 season, but coach Rudi Garcia did not welcome the prospect, the newspaper says. Jeune Afrique quotes a close connection of…

A tour guide in a crocodile farm in South Africa was killed by the reptiles in one of their pools, police authorities confirmed. Police suspect the crocodiles attacked 54-year-old Johan Burger while he was working in the pool, where his body was found in the morning of 14 January, local media reported. Burger had been working at Le Bonheur Farm in Paarl, near Cape Town, for just over a year, on a part time basis, the farm said in a statement published on Facebook. He was a designer and executor of display areas in and around the crocodile ponds. “Johan’s…

Dr Olusegun Omisakin, the Head of Research, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), says rising inflation rate in the country has gone beyond the control of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Omisakin made the observation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos. NAN reports that data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Jan.13 showed that December 2016 inflation rate stood at 18.55 per cent from 18.48 per cent in November. Inflation targeting is a major economic policy objective of CBN and this has been the focus of its Monetary Policy Committee…

As a result of the bomb blast in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has suspended a press conference it had planned to hold after the meeting of its National Executive Council, NEC, in Kano State. The union expressed shock over the incident which claimed several lives, including a professor at the mosque of the University of Maiduguri during the fajir prayer at about 6:30am. It was reported that a Professor and two others were killed in the blast, while thirteen others were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. ASUU National President,…

Some repentant cattle rustlers have surrendered 104 AK 47 rifles and other weapons to Katsina State Government and embraced amnesty. The voluntary return of the weapon was part of the state’s Dialogue and Amnesty programme for the group. They gave up the weapons on Sunday at a ceremony organised by a special committee led by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Mustapha Inuwa, in Kankara. Receiving the weapons, Gov. Aminu Masari, commended the committee, traditional rulers and members of the groups for the success being recorded by the programme. Masari urged them to interact with members of their respective…

Co-convener of the BringBackOurGirls,(BBOG) Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, has finally agreed to join Nigerian troops and a team led by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to Sambisa Forest today. The trip is meant to search for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls in the once dreaded forest, then occupied by Boko Haram insurgents. Ezekwesili, in an e-mail to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed at 8.20pm on Sunday indicated the interest of her group to join the search for the missing girls in Sambisa forest by giving another conditional acceptance which the government met. Here is the correspondence…

The UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan said it was continuing discussions with the transitional national unity Government on the deployment of 4,000-strong regional protection force in the country. The force was authorised by the UN Security Council in August 2016 but has yet to be deployed. “The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) confirms that in preparation for the arrival of the Regional Protection Force, it continues to be engaged in discussions with the Transitional Government of National Unity as to the various modalities for the new Force, including where they will be deployed in Juba,’” a statement issued…

President Muhammadu Buhari has strongly condemned the terrorist attack Monday morning at a mosque in the University of Maiduguri(UNIMAID). A professor of veterinary medicine and four others were killed by the suicide bomber. Fifteen other people were injured. The President expressed sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the University Community, families of the victims and the government and people of Borno State. President Buhari said the appalling attack on a revered place of worship and Ivory Tower shows that the perpetrators have no true understanding of Islam. He said their despicable acts of terrorism are cowardly, criminal, unjustifiable and punishable before…