Author: Chronicle Editor

With the Osun state governorship election less than a year away, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has redeployed the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state. In what INEC described as routine administrative postings, five RECs were deployed while four directors were also redeployed. “The redeployments are part of the Commission’s routine administrative postings.” Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee on Sunday disclosed the redeployments in a statement. “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has redeployed five Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs). In the new postings, the REC, Osun State, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, has been redeployed…

Heavy gunfire has been heard in the centre of Guinea’s capital, Conakry, while soldiers have been seen on the streets near the presidential palace. It is not clear what is behind the shooting, and authorities in the West African country have not commented. The district of Kaloum is reported to be deserted as terrified residents heed soldiers’ orders to stay at home. A senior government official told Reuters that President Alpha Condé was unharmed but gave no further details. The only bridge connecting the mainland to the Kaloum peninsular, which houses most ministries and the presidential palace, had been sealed…

New statistics reveal the scale of hygiene poverty in the UK and the effect this is having on children, in a Boots-commissioned survey of 500 schoolteachers, many of whom say the issue is getting worse. Millions of kids will be heading back to school in September, and this can be a stressful, if exciting moment in their lives – and making sure they have access to hygiene products can only have a positive effect on their self-esteem, confidence and happiness. Some 69 per cent of the teachers who took part in the research agreed that hygiene poverty is a reality…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned Mr Karim A. A. Khan, QC, Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), urging him “to investigate the growing cases of abduction of students in several parts of Northern Nigeria, closure of schools, and the persistent failure of Nigerian authorities at both the federal and state levels to end the abduction as amounting to crimes against humanity within the jurisdiction of the ICC.” SERAP urged him “to push for those suspected to be responsible and complicit in the commission of these serious crimes, to be invited and tried by the ICC.” The petition followed…

Nigeria’s leading construction company, Fortis Project Services, is celebrating 10 years of using innovative ways to contribute to the country. The Nigerian-owned company has left its quality imprint in road construction, building, renovation, irrigation, boreholes, reservoirs and erosion control. Beyond construction, Fortis Project Services has impacted the lives of communities where they have executed projects including creating direct and indirect jobs and employment. This is evident when the company partnered with Huawei Technologies for the construction and equipping of Olufunmilayo Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Skill Acquisition Centre located in Ajah, Lagos. The company which is made up of professionals in engineering and…

Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Buba Marwa, says President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the construction of barracks for operatives of the agency. Marwa disclosed this to state house correspondents on Friday, after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the activities of the agency at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The NDLEA boss said the building of barracks for operatives of the agency is par of efforts to protect officers and their families. “I raised the issue of barracks. The NDLEA has been in existence for 32 years. All other agencies — armed forces, police, customs, immigration, road…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) chairman and Governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, has congratulated the party faithful, stakeholders and Congress officials on the peaceful and successful conduct of the party local government Congresses across the country. “Reports reaching my office indicate that, the local government Congresses were conducted peacefully and successfully across the country. “I salute our members, stakeholders, the candidates and their supporters for the peaceful and rancour free exercise. “You have done the party proud and remain a role model to other political parties” he said. Buni assured that the…

Taliban and opposition forces battled on Saturday to control the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul, the last Afghan province holding out against the militant group, as the top US general warned of a “civil war” if the Islamists failed to consolidate power. Both sides claimed to have the upper hand in Panjshir but neither could produce conclusive evidence to prove it. The Taliban, which swept through the country ahead of the final withdrawal of US-led forces this week, were unable to control the valley when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi said the districts of…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has claimed victory at Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s Ungwar Sarki polling unit in Kaduna North Local Government Area for the chairmanship and councillorship seats. El-Rufai, a member of the All Progressive Congress, who had voted earlier at the same polling unit, said that his priority was not to win at all costs, but to improve the voting process using the Electronic Voting Machine. According to the Governor, the introduction of the electronic voting system by his administration has clearly shown that the APC-led government in Kaduna state does not believe in cheating or rigging election. Boko…

Armed bandits have abducted the wife and two children of a member of Katsina State House of Assembly, Dr Ibrahim Kurami. The incident was revealed by Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna lawmaker in the early hours of Sunday morning. Sani called on President Muhammadu Buhari to save Katsina State from the hands of bandits following recent incidents of kidnapping in the state. His tweet read: “While the elder brother of the Katsina state Secretary to the Government is still in the hands of bandits, the terrorists have struck again this night and kidnapped the wife of a member of State…