Author: Chronicle Editor

A three-term member of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Wadada, has dumped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Congress (APC). Warada, a polo enthusiast, represented the Karu/Keffi/Kokokona Federal Constituency from 1999-2011. He was the Nasarawa West PDP Senatorial candidate during the 2015 general election. Today at the APC State Secretariat in Lafia, Wadada said he was attracted to the party as a result of the developmental strides of the APC-led government at the national and state levels. He said that his decision to decamp with all his supporters was done in consultation with the critical…

Crystal Palace have sacked their 55-year old manager Alan Pardew with the club 17th in the Premier League. Pardew was appointed on a three-and-a-half-year deal in January 2015 but has been dismissed after a run of one victory in 11 games. Palace have taken just 26 points from their last 36 Premier League matches and are only one point above the relegation zone. Former England boss Sam Allardyce is the bookmakers’ favourite to take over. “Personally I have a lot of good feelings for this football club and am sad that my time there has ended,” Pardew, who made more…

Taraba State government’s workers have shut down the state secretariat in Jalingo to protest against the non-payment of their salaries. Acting on the platform of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), the workers accused the state government of insensitive to their plights. Addressing the workers, Mr Peter Gambo, the State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said on Thursday that they were protesting against other irregularities in the payment of salaries of workers and pensions of retirees in the state. He said that local government workers and teachers had not been paid for eight months and have been…

Argentina ends the year top of the FIFA world rankings, with South American neighbours Brazil second. Argentina, who has led the rankings since replacing Belgium in April, has won 10 of their 15 games in 2016, while losing three. World champions Germany stay third, ahead of Chile, Belgium and Colombia in the rankings published on Thursday by football’s governing body. Euro 2016 finalists France, who have gained the most ranking points since December 2015, remain seventh ahead of European champions Portugal, while Uruguay and Spain complete the unchanged top 10. The biggest movers of the month are Rwanda, who are…

On Wednesday, Federal Government announced a policy which offers a five percent financial reward to any whistle blower whose information leads to recovery ‎of looted funds and other monies obtained through fraudulent means. The policy, which is tagged ‘Whistle Blowing Programme,’ it is aimed at encouraging anyone with information about a violation, misconduct or improper activity that impacts negatively on the Nigerian people and government to report it. Official reward for whistle blowers will strengthen the fight against corruption by encouraging more Nigerians to identify with government’s efforts in that regard. The country would have recovered substantial part of the…

Some Nigerians have celebrated the release of James Ibori, a former Delta Governor, from a prison in London while others have frowned at the action of their compatriots. They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that such celebration was condemnable, unfortunate and uncalled for. The former governor of Delta was on Wednesday ordered to be released from prison in London Court. Ibori was jailed in 2012, two years after he was arrested by the Interpol in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, where he was hiding after fleeing Nigeria. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison by…

The former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, has been placed under house arrest in London after being released from prison. Ibori, who had spent six years after been convicted for stealing and laundering the nation’s fund. He was jailed for 13 years but was due for release on Tuesday, upon serving full six years. It was also gathered that the London court which released him on Wednesday morning has restricted him to his St. John’s Wood residence. However, Ibori will be reporting to the London Metropolitan Police every week. Ibori’s case was re-opened in 2010 after a…

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday said the guiding principle of his administration since inception has always been the implementation of policies and programmes that would engender true happiness and make life more simpler and comfortable for the people. Governor Ambode, who spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting with religious leaders held at Lagos House in Ikeja, said all along, the State Government under him, has worked assiduously to scale up the provision of critical infrastructures that would bring comfort to the people, assuring that such remained a priority. He urged religious leaders in the State to use the Pulpit,…

The Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has started recruitment of 200 police officers who are expected to enhance security in Somalia. AMISOM said on Thursday that the exercise which was being conducted jointly with Somali Police in Kismayo would recruit young men and women who would undergo three-month police training. It said that they would be deployed to various parts of the federal state to boost security and maintain law and order after the training. AMISOM Police team leader, Superintendent Opara Augustus said the exercise was meant to shore up the capacity of the police force in the state…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set up a four-man committee to investigate the role of its staff in the conduct of the Dec. 10 Rivers legislative rerun elections. The commission’s daily bulletin issued on Wednesday in Abuja stated that the committee was expected to submit its report on Jan. 30, 2017. The committee’s term of reference, according to the bulletin, was to review the preparations and deployment of personnel and material on the eve of the elections. The committee was also to identify the factors leading to the apparent failure of processes in some local government areas in…