Author: Chronicle Editor

Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) campaigners have initiated push for welfare of soldiers in addition to the rescue of the remaining abducted Chibok schoolgirls. The group, led by ex-education minister Oby Ezekwesilie, reconvened at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, on Monday. Dr. Ezekwesili, co-convener of the group, said the focus of the gathering was to press for a better welfare for soldiers and officers of the Nigerian Army. Ezekwesili explained that the group was appalled with the way soldiers at the war front were treated by the authorities. She said the protesters, apart from seeking the release of the remaining…

Manchester United and Manchester City both want 26-year-old Tottenham full-backs Kyle Walker and Danny Rose. (Sun) Manchester City are interested in Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere. The 25-year-old, who has 18 months left on his contract, is on loan at Bournemouth. (Daily Star) The representatives of Manchester City target Ivan Rakitic have said the 28-year-old midfielder is happy at Barcelona. (Daily Mail) Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has warned Barcelona off a £60m move for midfielder Philippe Coutinho, 24. (Daily Mirror) Chelsea will sign Swansea striker Fernando Llorente, 31, on loan until the end of the season after the Welsh club agreed…

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has welcomed the removal of Mr. Jim Obazee, Executive Secretary, Financial Reporting Council (FRC) yesterday by President Muhammadu Buhari. FRC is the body whose law led to the retirement of Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye as General Overseer of Nigerian arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). CAN General Secretary, Rev. Musa Asake while reacting to this development said the sack of Obazee by President Muhammadu Buhari was divine. He added that God used authorities to punish the official for daring to interfere in the work of the church. Asake while speaking with…

Teachers and lawyers in the Cameroonian city of Bamenda have gone on strike in a dispute about language, bringing streets and classrooms to a standstill. The main cause of discontent is the use of French in courts and schools in English-speaking parts of the country, which include Bamenda. Monday’s strike was called on the day schools were due to reopen for the second term of the year. A BBC correspondent says the strike turned Bamenda into a ghost town as classrooms remained closed as teachers as well as students stayed away. This latest disruption to the school calendar threatens to…

President Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire issued three decrees late on Monday firing military and police chiefs to appease restive soldiers. Those sacked are Army Chief, Gen. Soumaila Bakayoko; Chief Commander of the gendarmerie, Gen. Gervais Kouassi; and Gen. Bredou Mbia, National Police Inspector General. They were replaced, respectively by Major General Sekou Toure, Brigadier General Nicolas Kouadio Kouakou and Chief Superintendent Youssouf Kouyate, APA reported on Tuesday. “The President of the Republic, the Army Commander-in-Chief, thanks Generals Soumaila Bakayoko, Gervais Kouassi and Bredou Mbia for their services to the nation,” the Permanent Secretary of the government, Amadou Gon Coulibaly…

On Monday, unknown gunmen murdered a university don, Prof. Gabriel Okayi in his home at the North Bank area of Makurdi. It was gathered that the gunmen suspected to be hired assassins had invaded the residence of Okayi, a professor of Fisheries, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM) at about 2am. Some of his neighbours who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said sound of heavy barking by the Professor’s dogs initially rented the air followed by sounds of heavy gunshots in his premises while residents scampered for safety. The neighbours who were still shocked at the…

The Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), has described the statement of President Muhammadu Buhari on the Sourthern Kaduna killings by herdsmen as “unsatisfactory”. The president had last week directed security agencies to put an end to the killings of over 1,000 persons mainly Christians in the Southern Kaduna, after many complaints on the silence of the federal government on the incident. But speaking with journalists on Sunday evening after the end of the prayer session on the fasting and mourning over the massacre, the Chairman of CAN in Ondo State, Rev. John Ayo Oladapo, described President Mohammadu Buhari’s statement as…

Over 150 students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, co-owned by Oyo and Osun states stormed Ibadan, Oyo State to agitate the reopening of the higher institution which has been closed for over seven months. The students who were joined by colleagues from other universities around Southwest occupied Ibadan, capital of Oyo state where the school is domiciled, marched from Correspondence Chapel, Mokola, Ibadan to the Oyo state secretariat to demand the Governor of Oyo state, Senator Abiola Ajimobi order the reopening of the school which has been shut due to non-payment of salaries of staff of the…

Customers at a restaurant in Virginia are rallying to support a black waitress who received a a racist note instead of a tip at the weekend. Waitress Kelly Carter said a couple had written on the receipt: “Great service don’t tip black people.” Owner Tommy Tellez told BBC News the response has been “phenomenal”. People have been dropping by the restaurant to give Ms Carter cash, Mr Tellez said, and a YouCaring campaign has raised over $300 (£245) for her. Her regular customers have been dropping by to give her hugs. Tipping is customary in the US, where restaurant servers…

Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has revealed that the government is on standby to evacuate its citizens in The Gambia if the need arises. President Yahaya Jammeh is refusing to step down, after losing the presidential election held last month. Jammeh had initially conceded defeat to Adama Barrow, but made a dramatic u-turn, leading to suggestions that crisis may erupt in the country. Dabiri-Erewa said Nigeria was prepared to relocate its citizens if it came to that. She stated this while responding to a Twitter user’s question on Monday. The user,…