Author: Chronicle Editor

Nigeria’s GDP can expand by 2.5 percent next year, rebounding from a recession entered in the second quarter, as long it can keep oil output at 2.2 million barrels per day, a senior Moody’s analyst said. Africa’s largest economy faces its worst crisis in 25 years, brought on by low oil prices which have slashed government revenue, hammered its currency and caused chronic dollar shortages frustrating businesses. Third quarter gross domestic production data is expected on Monday. Aurelien Mali, Moody’s senior analytical adviser for Africa, told Reuters late on Sunday that he expects a contraction from a year earlier, and…

Before the start of this season, Victor Moses had not played a league game for Chelsea for more than three years, but now he has a key role in the 3-4-3 system that has taken them top of the Premier League. Moses, 25, has been out on loan at Liverpool, Stoke and West Ham during that time but he did not establish himself at any of those clubs either. So his current situation is a huge turnaround for a player who, partly because of injury, started only 38 league games in the past three seasons, completing 90 minutes just 12…

Harry Kane has urged Tottenham to sort out his contract, with Manchester United among the big clubs monitoring the 23-year-old striker’s situation after talks over a new deal were put on hold last week. (Mirror) AC Milan will make a move for Jack Wilshere, who is on loan at Bournemouth from Arsenal, in the summer when the 24-year-old midfielder will have one year left on his Gunners contract. (Daily Star) Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says 31-year-old striker Wayne Rooney’s lack of pace was the reason he was left out of the starting line-up for Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal.…

By Caroline Oghuma What can we do without our subscribers? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Where will we be without them? Nowhere. It is that simple. Without them, there will be no us at MultiChoice Nigeria. I believe that is true for any other business or, more specifically, any business that desires long-term viability through quality service, like MultiChoice Nigeria does. It is why we have found recent media reports suggesting that MultiChoice subscribers in Nigeria are being unfairly treated very baffling and I dare say, unfair. The basis for the reports was the recent reduction in subscription rates in some other…

Manchester City are planning a world-record bid in excess of £100m for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, 29, next summer. They will offer the Argentine a £500,000-per-week contract. (Sunday Mirror) City also want Brazil international left-back Alex Sandro, 25, whose current contract at Juventus ends in June 2020, with a release cause of £25.6m. If he signs a new deal with the Italian champions it would raise his transfer fee to £40m. (Sunday Mirror) Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is considering a move for Bayern Munich defender David Alaba, 24, and his Austria team-mate midfielder Julian Baumgartlinger, 28. (Sunday People) Mourinho…

Manchester City is ready to break the bank to sign Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. The Etihad club are putting together a stunning financial package in excess of £200million in a bid to land Barcelona’s unsettled Argentine ace next summer. City bosses are drawing up a plan that will see them pay Barca a world-record transfer fee in excess of £100m as well as handing Messi a basic wage of £500,000-a-week. The Blues believed that their appointment of Messi’s former Barca boss Pep Guardiola as manager last summer would put them in pole position to sign the player should be ever…

Barcelona were held to a goalless draw by Malaga in La Liga as they missed the presence of influential forwards Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Suarez was suspended for the stalemate at the Nou Camp and Messi missed out following a bout of illness. Gerard Pique put the ball in the net for Barca but it was flagged for offside while Andre Gomes hit a post. Malaga finished the match with nine men after Diego Llorente and Juan Carlos were both shown red cards. Llorente was sent off for a late tackle on Neymar in the 68th minute while Carlos…

Jermain Defoe scored his 150th Premier League goal as Sunderland comfortably beat Hull City to secure consecutive top-flight wins for the first time since May. Defoe’s darting run and firm low finish made him just the eighth player in Premier League history to bring up the milestone, in a first half that otherwise was a positive one for the visitors. The in-form Victor Anichebe scored twice after the break for David Moyes’ rejuvenated side, who remain inside the bottom three but are at least off the foot of the standings, replaced by Swansea. Hull had their chances and looked good…

Yaya Toure marked his shock return to the Manchester City team with two goals as his side grabbed a dramatic late win at Crystal Palace. Toure, making his first Premier League appearance of the season, combined with Nolito before firing City ahead. Palace’s pressure paid off when Wilfried Zaha set up substitute Connor Wickham to smash home a second-half equaliser. But Toure, who has not figured at all for City for almost three months, had the final word when he turned home Kevin de Bruyne’s corner from close range. The win moves City second in the table, level on points…

The persistent activities of the Niger Delta Avengers seems to have sparked the Nigerian army strategic and planning unit into life. The Nigerian Army’s new 6 Division in Port Harcourt is to organise and improve internal security operations in four states of the volatile Niger Delta. Major General Kasimu Abdulkarim, the pioneer General Officer Commanding (GOC), of the Division , said on Saturday in Port Harcourt. Abdulkarim said the military had recorded success in the war against terror and was committed to combating emerging security threats in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country. According to him, the…