Author: Vincent Osuwo

Israel will not attend an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Gaza scheduled for Tuesday due to the Jewish New Year, according to its UN representative, calling the timing “regrettable.” As a country directly touched by the UN’s highest security body’s deliberations, the Middle-East nation was asked to speak at the Council’s debate of the tragic conflict in Gaza during the UN’s high-level week. The country’s troops are launching a major ground offensive to take Gaza’s largest metropolitan center, with AFP film showing plumes of smoke rising over Gaza City on Monday as Palestinians carrying their belongings fled southward. “I…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s denial of seeking a third term in office has been vehemently challenged by political activist and civil society leader Dr. Usman Bugaje, who claims that the ex-president “did everything within his power” to extend his tenure. Obasanjo, while addressing his audience at a democracy dialogue held by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Ghana last week, rejected the long-running third-term debate, saying, “I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I would know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him…

Paris Saint-Germain talisman Ousmane Dembele is tipped to beat Barcelona sensation Lamine Yamal and win the men’s Ballon d’Or on Monday, while Aitana Bonmati is expected to win a third consecutive women’s prize. The world of football will convene for a lavish event at Paris’ Theatre du Chatelet to determine who will be the next winners of an award previously dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. From 2008 until 2023, the duo won the Ballon d’Or 13 times together. Rodri, a Manchester City midfielder, won the accolade, the most prestigious individual prize in football, last year after leading Spain…

The UK’s Conservative Party Leader, Kemi Badenoch, has fiercely criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formally recognize the State of Palestine, describing it as “absolutely disastrous” and a move that rewards terrorism without addressing the plight of hostages in Gaza or the suffering of civilians caught in the conflict. In a statement on her X page on Sunday, Badenoch, MP for North West Essex, accused Starmer of lacking a coherent plan for the country and instead pandering to “the hobbyhorses of the Labour left” to maintain power. “Rewarding terrorism with no conditions whatsoever put in place for Hamas leaves…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that there would be no Palestinian state, in a message addressed to the leaders of Britain, Australia, and Canada after they recognized Palestinian statehood. He said, “I have a clear message for those leaders who recognize a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre on October 7: you are granting a huge reward to terror. “I have another message for you: it will not happen. No Palestinian state will be established west of the Jordan River. Recognition will endanger our existence and serve as an absurd reward for terrorism.’’ The UK government, along with…

Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election has criticized First Lady Oluremi Tinubu’s proposal that birthday well-wishers give to the completion of the National Library in Abuja, calling it an indictment of Nigerian government objectives. Obi wrote on his X account on Sunday that while the First Lady’s request appeared “noble and selfless on the surface,” it highlighted the government’s failure to fulfill its responsibilities. “I join millions of Nigerians in wishing Her Excellency, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, a happy birthday. May God Almighty, who has been with her all these years, grant her many more…

Governor Umo Eno has stated that many people are angry with him for mingling with opponents of his political fortunes in Akwa Ibom State. The governor, during Sunday’s thanksgiving in Uyo, urged those who were aggrieved to forgive him and those who couldn’t forgive to tolerate him until he leaves office because he can’t stop embracing all Akwa Ibomites. The governor also expressed his desire for Akwa Ibom to remain united, vowing to guarantee that those advocating for the state’s split in the quest for statehood were unsuccessful. He told the congregation, “A lot of people are angry with me.…

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Sunday night kidnapped Mrs. Patience Nasamu, wife of Pastor Samuel Nasamu, and a female member of his church to an unknown destination at Agyaragu in Obi Local Government Area. Nasamu, a pastor at Word of God Church Agyaragu, described the tragedy, lamenting that his wife, who is breast-feeding a three-month-old infant, was kidnapped together with a member of his church who came to see his family after a church session. “I barely left my wife and our visitor with our new born baby at home to pray for one of my members who is…

The president of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has accused the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) of charging up to N50,000 for each truck that loads fuel at the refinery, warning that such charges will eventually raise fuel pump prices and burden consumers. While NUPENG would not confirm or deny the accusation, industry experts on Sunday questioned how the oil union became a tax collector, emphasizing that such moves would undoubtedly hike pump costs for refined petroleum products. Speaking to reporters in response to NUPENG’s charges that his company is prohibiting drivers of its freshly deployed…

There was chaos on Wednesday at the Isale-Oko area of Sagamu, Ogun State, after two inmates attempted to escape following a court proceeding. Chronicle NG gathered on Sunday from a source in the area, who requested anonymity, that the incident had occurred while officials of the Nigeria Correctional Service were attempting to return the inmates to custody. The source mentioned that two of the inmates had fled before the NCoS officers gave a hot chase. The source added that the officers arrested one at the spot and the other later that day. The source said, “A mild drama happened at…