Author: Chronicle Editor

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has called on Christians to observe a national day of mourning for victims of the crisis in southern Kaduna State, and other parts of Nigeria.The day of mourning, which is to be observed on January 8, 2017, will serve as a fervent day of prayer and empathy for those affected by the killings. Addressing journalists in Abuja, the Secretary General of CAN, Musa Asake, blamed the “prolonged silence” of the Presidency, as well as 2the manner of approach on the issue, by the leadership of Kaduna State” for the escalation of the crisis. “In…

The Lagos State Government has approved funds for 281 micro-enterprises, of which 150 have received offer letters under the pilot scheme of its Employment Trust Fund (ETF). Mr Akintunde Oyebode, the Executive Secretary of the ETF, made the remark on Friday in Lagos, at the presentation of offer letters to some of the beneficiaries. According to Oyebode, the pilot scheme of the ETF seeks to support 1,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Oyebode said the distribution of the offer letters was in pursuit of government’s overall goal to support 100,000 MSMEs and create 300,000 and 600,000 indirect jobs by…

Russia has declared 35 American diplomats persona non grata, in a response to President Barack Obama’s expulsion of Russian diplomats for ‘malicious’ meddling in US election via cyber hacking. The TASS news agency said the American diplomats expelled include 31 personnel of the embassy in Moscow and four of the consulate general in St. Petersburg. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, made the declaration on Friday, TASS reported. “We, of course, cannot leave unanswered the insults of the kind, reciprocity is the law of diplomacy and foreign relations,” Lavrov said. “Thus, the Russian Foreign Ministry and officials of other authorities have…

An educationist, Mr Augustine Agali, on Friday urged the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria to clamp down on unqualified teachers operating in the country. Agali told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that many unqualified people had taken up teaching jobs without the appropriate qualification and experience. He said that many teachers found in classrooms across the country today were not duly registered with the council, thus projecting the profession in bad light. According to him, the mandate of TRCN is to regulate and control teaching profession at all levels of the nation’s education system, both in the public…

The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operation Unit, Zone C says it has destroyed 16, 422 cartons of imported frozen poultry valued at N147 million. According to the Controller, Mr Usman-Shehu Dahiru, the frozen poultry products have a Duty Paid Value of N177.36 million. “The items were a container and conveyed by a truck with registration number BDG 654 XL. “The items were seized by officers and men of the service on Wednesday at Ovia River along Benin-Ekiadolor Expressway at about 8.00 p.m,” a statement issued by the customs and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin on Friday,…

The police says there is little they can do to effectively enforce the ban on the use of fireworks and ‘knockouts’ without public support. The Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Don Awunah, said this when our correspondent contacted him to get an update on enforcement of the ban, in Abuja on Friday. The use of the explosives continues unabated nationwide, despite the prohibition, prompting insinuations that the police are not enforcing it. But Awunah insisted that the ban was being enforced, adding that it seemed ineffective because citizens were not reporting violations to the police. According to him, the effectiveness…

On Wednesday, court in Democratic Republic of Congo sentenced a political opposition leader to five years in prison, a human rights advocate said, a judgment that risks imperiling multi-party talks meant to organize a presidential election next year. The court found Franck Diongo, president of the opposition MLP party, guilty of illegally detaining three soldiers during violent protests last week in the capital Kinshasa that killed dozens, said Georges Kapiamba, a lawyer and human rights advocate who attended the trial. Kapiamba told Reuters that Diongo was not able to defend himself because of failing health and called the decision “totally…

On Thursday, the Russian foreign ministry revealed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Egypt’s counterpart Sameh Shoukry have agreed to continue talks on issues in the Middle East and North Africa. In a telephone conversation, Lavrov informed Shoukry about the ceasefire deal in Syria and the beginning of a political settlement of the crisis, the ministry said. Reuters

The South Africa Energy Department said retail price of petrol would rise by 4 per cent from January 4. In a statement in Johannesburg late on Thursday, the Department also said that the price of wholesale diesel would increase by 3.5 per cent It stated that the price of 93 octane petrol would be 50 cents higher at 13.09 rand per litre, while the 95 octane would go up 48 cents to 13.33 rand per litre in the country’s commercial hub of Gauteng Province. Octane is fuel’s ability to resist engine knock at high compression ratios. The higher the octane…

The Lagos State Commissioner for The Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, on Friday urged Lagosians to avoid bush and solid waste burning during the harmattan period. Adejare gave the advice in a statement sent to newsmen by Mr Mukaila Sanusi, the Ministry’s Head, Public Affairs and Research. He said the advice became necessary to avoid acts that could lead to fire outbreak. “As our environment becomes dusty and hazy with dryness to everything including trees, wooden items, leaves and furniture, residents should be extremely careful with fire. “This will help prevent outbreaks because fire is nobody’s friend. “Lagosians should take precautionary…