Author: Chronicle Editor

Nigerian authors are to launch, A book, A Child’’, a campaign to spur children’s interest in reading and awake reading culture. The authors on the platform of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) also plans to construct “Writers Village’’ at Mpape, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to enhance the organisation. During this campaign this year, the association would produce good books on values and nationhood to instill nationalism in our children. The President of ANA, Mr Abdullahi Denja, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the campaign would ensure that every Nigerian child of school age has a copy. “That is…

President Muhammadu Buhari and other West African leaders, may have tactically taken Gambia’s president-elect, Adama Barrow into safety after a botched attempt to persuade President Yahya Jammeh to voluntarily cede power after he lost the 1 December election. Jammeh’s tenure ends 19 January. And both ECOWAS and the AU have said he would cease to be the leader of West Africa’s smallest country by 20 January. President Buhari flew out of Banjul with Barrow on Friday, en route to Mali, for what was called crisis talks in hopes of ending the nation’s political impasse. Thousands of Gambians themselves are leaving…

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba says his recent upturn in form has been helped by manager Jose Mourinho letting him “free” on the pitch. The 23-year-old France international started slowly after rejoining United for a £89m world-record fee last summer, but he has been instrumental in United’s recent nine-match winning run. “He told me not to listen to anybody, and that I should just be focused on the pitch and enjoy yourself. That is all I am doing,” Pogba said. Expectations were high following Pogba’s return to Old Trafford from Italian champions Juventus in August, but it is only in…

The Kwara State Police Command, has alerted residents on fleeing Boko Haram terrorists infiltrating the state. It has urged residents to be wary of the insurgents, who were reportedly dislocated from Sambisa forest. This was contained in a statement signed by the Command’s PRO, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi and made available to reporters in Ilorin on Friday. The command asked the public “to watch out for person/persons finding asylum in different communities across the state.” Citizens were particularly advised to be cautious of people who pose as new converts into religious folds. The police warned that such strategy would be “to…

The Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the People Democratic Party, PDP, has admonished President Muhammadu Buhari to prosecute his associates who allegedly collected money from former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd.) The Makarfi’s faction said the prosecution of Buhari’s friends would convince Nigerians of the authenticity of the ongoing anti-corruption fight. A statement issued by the Makarfi-led caretaker committee on Friday particularly mentioned Col. Jafaru Isah (retd.). Isah, an ally of the President and member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, had recently refunded huge sum he allegedly collected from Dasuki to the Federal Government. Noting that it was…

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has launched a $400 million humanitarian response plan for Central African Republic (CAR). The money is directed to meet the basic needs of estimated 2.2 million people in the country. Dr Michel Yao, Acting Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, said in a statement that the UN-backed humanitarian plan aimed assist million who urgently needed humanitarian assistance. According to him, the response plan is for a two-year period, from 2017 to 2019 Yao said the response plan, with a budget of $399.5 million, would cover three strategic objectives. The UN official…

For the first time ever in American history, Lady Liberty will be portrayed as a woman of colour, depicting an African-American on the U.S. currency. Treasury and Mint officials unveiled the 2017 American Liberty High Relief Gold Coin, in a celebration of the U.S. Mint and Treasury’s 225th anniversary, according to NBC News. The new $100 coin was unveiled by Elisa Basnight, U.S. Mint chief of staff, featuring Lady Liberty as a black woman. Since the passage of the Coinage Act in 1792, all coins are required to feature an “impression emblematic of liberty,” in either words or images. Until…

Paul Pogba has all the qualities to be a future Manchester United captain, according to Jose Mourinho. The United manager believes the 23-year-old France midfielder’s recent performances show he can be a long-term replacement for Wayne Rooney in the role. Rooney’s future at Old Trafford has been the subject of speculation, despite the fact he recently drew level with Bobby Charlton as the club’s all-time record goalscorer. The England captain said in November he wanted to see out his contract with United, which runs until 2019, although he has had started only eight of their 20 Premier League fixtures this…

It isn’t an opinion heard frequently in the famously liberal Hollywood, but sci-fi queen Zoe Saldana has spoken out against the acting community for bullying abrasive Donald Trump. The “Star Trek,” “Avatar” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” star — who is not a supporter of the Republican president-elect — believes insults flung at him during the race for the White House turned off much of middle America. “We got cocky and became arrogant and we also became bullies,” the 38-year-old actress said of Trump, who has been frequently berated himself for his bullying tactics, including seemingly mocking a reporter with…

Sacking manager Jose Mourinho and his staff in 2015 cost Chelsea £8.3m in compensation, figures released by the Premier League club show. Mourinho, now in charge of Manchester United, was sacked in December 2015 after a poor start to the Blues’ Premier League title defence. The club eventually finished 10th, and the financial report for the 2015-16 campaign shows a £70.6m loss. That includes £67m paid to Adidas to terminate a sponsorship deal early. The club did that to enter into a more lucrative 15-year deal with Nike, worth an extra £30m a year, BBC Sport reports. The Adidas contract,…