Author: Chronicle Editor

Ghana’s President John Mahama has conceded defeat in the just concluded Presidential election to opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo. The concession quelled tensions at the end of a day in which independent voting tallies showing an Akufo-Addo victory in the presidential and parliamentary election had been broadly accepted but there were no official results. “The call (from Mahama) came just a few minutes ago,” Boakye Agyarko, a senior aide to Akufo-Addo, told Reuters. Supporters of Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) broke into cheers and dancing his residence in the capital Accra when news of the call broke on local media. Car…

By Femi Fani-Kayode “We will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not, that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes” – Malam Nasir El Rufai, 2012. I will never forget these words. How I wish that my friend and brother, Governor Nasir El Rufai, expressed the same level of angst, cold rage, chilling resolve and passion for vengeance after the murder of millions of defenceless and innocent non-Fulanis, including women and children, in his own Kaduna state and indeed all over the country since the coming to power of…

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti will have to cough out N3.3 billion for the actions of his predecessor following a court judgment on Friday. The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the payment of N3.3 billion to local government chairmen and councillors, who were sacked by former governor, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State. Fayemi, now the Minister of Solid Minerals, had in 2010 during his assumption in office as governor sacked the appellants 15 months into the end of their tenures. Fayemi appointed caretaker committees to carry out the functions that the local government chairmen and councillors would have done. In…

Yusuf Muhammed, Chairman, Madagali Local Government, Adamawa, said 56 persons died and 177 injured in the twin bomb blasts that hit Madagali Market on Friday in Adamawa. Muhammed, who confirmed the development to NAN in a telephone interview, said 57 of the injured were critical and 120 minor. He said the critically injured were rushed to Mubi General Hospital and Yola Specialists Hospital, while those that sustained minor injuries were treated and discharged . NAN reports that the Madagali Market operates on Fridays and the two blasts occurred at the grains and second hand clothes sections of the market. The…

On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari called for a peaceful and orderly conduct during the rerun legislative elections in Rivers on Saturday. The elections are to be held in 21 constituencies, made up of three senatorial districts, eight Federal constituencies and 10 state constituencies. The message was conveyed in statement by the President Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina in Abuja. Buhari urged the political parties, candidates and other stakeholders to ensure the polls were conducted without rigging, violence and intimidation of opponents and electoral officials. He reminded politicians and their supporters in Rivers to put “the higher…

Two explosions ripped through a bustling market in northeast Nigeria’s Madagali town, Adamawa State on Friday morning, killing at least 10 people and wounding 67, a survivor and an official said. The attack comes as Nigeria’s government claims it is routing the Boko Haram Islamic extremists blamed for the blasts. The blasts occurred on the edge of the extremist group’s Sambisa Forest stronghold, which Nigeria’s military has been bombing ahead of ground assaults. Since the military has dislodged the insurgents from towns and villages this year, they have been attacking soft targets. Madagali was liberated last year after months in…

Ghana’s President John Mahama has said that he will respect the outcome of the tightly contested election. He also said in a tweet that the Electoral Commission should be allowed to carry out its mandate. Local media are reporting that main opposition candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, 72, has an unassailable lead. Final results are expected before the end of the day. The electoral commission announced Thursday that it was manually verifying the results because its electronic system had been targeted by hackers. In a tweet, it urged people to ignore the “fake results” circulating on social media. The ruling…

The National Homegrown School Feeding scheme of primary school pupils has commenced in Anambra State. The scheme started on Thursday in the state and an estimated 76, 690 pupils in 1050 schools would be served every day at school.The feeding programme caters to pupils from primary 1 to 3. The Special Assistant on Homegrown School Feeding Programme in the Office of the Vice President, Mr. Dotun Adebayo said primary school pupils in Anambra were excited as the feeding started in their schools. Speaking in Awka, the state capital, Adebayo who led a team of Federal and State officials to some…

The Federal Government has declared Monday, Dec. 12, as public holiday to mark the Muslim festival of Eid-El-Maulud, to celebrate the birth of Prophet Mohammed. ‎ The declaration was made on Thursday by the Minister of Interior, Retired Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, on behalf of the Federal Government in Abuja. In a statement signed by the acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, the minister enjoined all Muslim faithful and Nigerians in general to join hands with President Muhammadu Buhari to build a strong, united and peaceful Nation.‎ ‎ He also urged all Nigerians to use the occasion to pray for…

United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon has charged the global community to rise up individually and collectively for the protection and promotion of the rights of people around them at all times. Ban, who made the remarks in his message to mark the 2016 Human Rights Day, observed on Dec. 10, said “upholding human rights is in the interest of all”. “All of us must act in our daily lives to advance the human rights of the people around us. All of us can act in our daily lives to advance the human rights of the people around us. “This is…