Author: Chronicle Editor

Bureau de Change operators in Sokoto State have appealed to the federal government to provide special intervention funds to manufacturers. The Chairman of the Bureau de Change operators, Alhaji Aliyu Sahabi, said the funds would greatly help in reviving the collapsed local industries. “The revival of local industries is key to finding plausible solutions to the current recession hitting Nigeria hard.” Sahabi said the revival of the industries would reduce poverty, unemployment and the high demand for the scarce foreign exchange. The chairman further called for a special provision of foreign exchange to large scale importers to reduce pressure on…

Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is in the frame to become the new manager at Paris St-Germain. (TF1 via Daily Express) Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, 29, is in talks with Ligue 1 side Marseille. (Daily Mirror) Blues captain John Terry, 36, is also the latest target for the Chinese Super League, with Guangzhou Evergrande and Shanghai Shenhua both interested in signing the defender. (Daily Express) Arsenal will have to spend £10m a year to keep forward Alexis Sanchez, 27, at the club. (Daily Mail) Liverpool striker Divock Origi, 21, has warned Everton to prepare “for war” in…

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is talks with Ligue 1 club Marseille over a January move, MirrorFootball has reported. The Nigeria midfielder, 29, has been frozen out by Antonio Conte after playing for his country at the Olympics during the summer. Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has claimed Mikel Obi is set to move to Ligue 1 on a free transfer despite having six months left on his contract. He said: “I saw Obi Mikel in London. He is in advanced discussions with Olympique Marseille. “He will leave Chelsea for free, this is a serious option.” Mikel Obi hasn’t played…

Militiamen in eastern Congo attacked a prison on Monday, engaging in a gun battle with security forces amid heightened tensions as President Joseph Kabila’s last term in office ends. No election has been held to choose a successor to Kabila, whose mandate expires on Monday, and popular anger is growing over what opponents say is an attempt to cling to power in defiance of the constitution. “Since this morning, there have been incursions by the Mai Mai (militia). They wanted to liberate prisoners at the central prison. They want to take advantage of the day to liberate prisoners.” A police…

Six weeks after the 8 November US presidential election, the battle for the White House is yet to be over as the 538 electors formally cast their votes for either Democratic Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump on Monday. NAN reports that although, technically the President-elect Trump won the electoral college on 9 November, officially, he has not been voted for. Under the US Constitution, the real presidential election takes place this year on Dec. 19, when electors meet in the 50 state capitals and Washington, D.C. to cast their ballots. To be elected a president, therefore, a candidate must…

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to commence investigation of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF and other government officials accused of wrongdoing. Malam Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, made this known on his Facebook page on Sunday. He said that the president, who expressed concern over the increasing media reports alleging various accusations of corruption against certain individuals in government, has vowed to prosecute any government official found wanting in the discharge of his/her responsibility. “The attention of the presidency…

An IL-18 aeroplane belonging to the Russian defence ministry has crashed in Yakutia in Siberia with 39 people on board. The defence ministry said 16 people were seriously injured, correcting earlier reports that 27 had died. The plane was carrying 32 passengers and seven crew when it came down near Tiksi in the Bulun district of Russia’s far east. Weather conditions were reportedly bad in the area when the crash happened. The plane was carrying out a scheduled flight from Kansk when it came down about 30km (18 miles) short of Tiksi at 04:45 (19:45 GMT Sunday). The plane broke…

On Sunday, Saidu Ayorinde Adebanjo of Nigeria emerged the 13th African Scrabble Champion winning 23 games of 32 in Tema, Ghana. Ayorinde, dethroned his Nigeria counterpart, Nsikakabasi Etim, the immediate past Africa Scrabble Champion, when he finished first in a 32-game marathon to become the best in the duel. Ayorinde was ranked sixteenth at the 2015 World Scrabble championship. Some Nigerians, namely: Eta Karo, Umebiye Cyril, Nsikakabasi Etim and Rex Ogbakpa emerged in the second, third, fourth and fifth positions respectively. A Kenyan, Gitonga Nberitou, broke Nigerian line up to take the sixth position. Other Nigerians in the listing are:…

As the Federal Government prepares to commence the payment of monthly stipends to the 200,000 graduates engaged under the N-Power job creation programme of the Buhari administration, 13 states of the federation have now submitted verified lists of the graduates and more expected later this week. This development was disclosed on Sunday while giving a news update on the programme, Mr. Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity in the Office of the Vice President stated that also in some states the graduates have also been deployed to their primary places of assignment, noting that payment of the…

As part of the newly launched CLEANER LAGOS INITIATIVE (CLI) the State through the Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, has announced a robust plan to employ over 2% of its entire population over the next few years with the implementation of new environmental policies and procedures. According to him, the CLI will have employ 25,000 community sanitation workers (CSW) who will be engaged mostly as street sweepers within the next 12 months. “Every sanitation worker will reside in the Ward they operate for convenience and to curb high cost of transportation to work. They will…