Author: Chronicle Editor

The Anglican Arch-Diocese of Enugu, on Sunday, distributed 550 bags of rice to 2,109 widows and needy women in Enugu State. The Church also slaughtered and shared five cows and cooking condiments – onions, seasoning, and tin tomatoes – as part of its Christmas gifts to the people. The Archbishop of Anglican Arch-Diocese, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, said that the gifts were originally meant for widows in the archdiocese to support them during the yuletide. Chukwuma said the Church was surprised to see the mammoth crowd of women coming for the food items. He added that “when I came, I…

State governors and political leaders on Sunday congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and the armed forces over takeover of the Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram terrorists. Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said on Sunday that the calls received by the President were from the Governors of Jigawa, Kano, Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto. He stated that the President had also received similar congratulatory messages from governors in South-East, South-South, South-West and North Central states of the federation. The Presidential aide disclosed that the governors commended the President on the achievement of the…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has vowed to continue to find sustainable solution to the challenge posed by insurgency in the Niger Delta. The NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, said this in a statement issued in Abuja. “The Corporation has created security management platforms that would enable it identify and evaluate risks, develop and superintend implementation of investigations. “The platform will also aggregate and deploy necessary resources to guarantee peaceful business environment in the region,” Ughamadu said. Quoting the NNPC Group Managing Director, Dr Maikanti Baru, who addressed staff during an end of…

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the U.S. ambassador to provide “clarifications” after Washington abstained from a UN vote on the illegitimacy of the West Bank settlements. A statement by the foreign ministry said Netanyahu summoned Ambassador Dan Shapiro for a meeting. No date has been fixed for the meeting. In the morning, the ministry said that Netanyahu, who is also acting foreign minister, instructed the ministry to summon the envoys of the UN Security Council’s member countries which have an embassy in Israel for a reprimand. The list included the ambassadors or deputies of France, Britain, China,…

Ten bodies have been recovered from the Russian military plane which crashed into the Black Sea minutes after taking off from the city of Sochi. Thousands of rescue workers are searching the undersea crash site but there appear to be no survivors. A total of 84 passengers and eight crew members were on the Tu-154 plane when it disappeared from radar two minutes after taking off in good weather on Sunday. Those on board included dozens of members of Russia’s world-famous Alexandrov Ensemble army choir. Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad has told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he is “extremely…

Premier League clubs, Chelsea and Liverpool are ready to fight to land Manchester City’s Joe Hart in the summer, reports say. Hart, currently on loan at Italian club, Torino is facing a dilemma as to where his future lies following City’s acquisition of Barcelona’s Claudio Bravo. With Chelsea facing the possibility of their number one goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, leaving for Real Madrid, it is believed Antonio Conte is ready to swoop on Hart. Liverpool, on the other hand, have been experiencing goalkeeper problems with summer signing Loris Karius losing form and manager Jurgen Klopp not being a fan of Simon…

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State on Sunday called on Christians in the state to renew their hope in God as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Fayose made the call in his Christmas message to the people which was made available in Ado-Ekiti. He said the birth of Christ ‎gave man the hope of having reliance on God restored. Fayose, therefore, urged Christians to be thankful and appreciate God’s goodness for giving them another opportunity to celebrate Christmas. “The only one and true hope is in God; this festive period symbolises God’s unfailing love and grace toward mankind…

An ethnic Nande militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least 13 Hutu civilians on Sunday with guns and machetes in an apparent revenge attack for the deaths of Nande civilians last week, a local activist said. Tit-for-tat massacres by Hutu and Nande militia in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province have killed dozens this year. Relations between the communities have worsened due to population movements and operations by the Congolese army against the largest Hutu militia in the area. Militia violence across the country has spiked in the last week, raising fears that political instability over President Joseph…

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Chile, prompting a tsunami warning. The quake struck about 40km (25 miles) south-west of Quellon in southern Chile at 14:22 GMT, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. Its depth was about 34km. As at the time of filing this report, details of any damage have not be disclosed. Chile’s national emergency office has issued an alert and ordered the evacuation of coastal areas of Los Lagos region. “As a measure of precaution, we order the evacuation of coastal areas of Biobio, Araucania, Los Rios, Aysen,” the alert said. The…

On Sunday, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno urged Christians to pray for the 1.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have lost their homes and loved ones. In his Christmas message to the people of the state, the governor also urged Christians to extend their hands of fellowship to the less privileged. “While citizens who are not directly affected by the insurgency are planning to enjoy the long Christmas holiday, they should make out time to think about the severe trauma faced by over 1.5 million sons and daughters of Borno State. “They have been forced out of their communities…