The ability of China to curb the spread of the deadly Coronavirus within its territory and across the globe has been described as a ‘vivid example of the institutional strength of Socialism with Chinese characteristics in pooling resources for major undertakings’ under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. This was part of a document titled: News Digest on China from the Press Office of the Embassy of China in Nigeria. According to the document, the high organizational and governance measures put in place after the break-up of the virus led to the success story of China in curbing the looming…
Author: Victor Gai
Business leaders from across Africa will seek solutions to some of the continent’s most challenging social issues at the Africa Shared Value Leadership Summit in Kigali, Rwanda on 4 – 5 June 2020. This was disclosed in a Press release by Shared Value Africa Initiative, dated March 5, 2020 and made available to The News Chronicle. The Summit, which will draw leaders from some of Africa’s biggest companies as well as decision-makers from government and civil society, provides a platform for business to collaborate on social upliftment of the continent, as well as to share insights about the most effective…
The COVID-19 epidemic has just entered Nigeria barely a week ago even as Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Morroco have recorded their first cases bringing the total cases to 12 in Africa. Nigeria happened to be the first country in Africa to record the novel Coronavirus case. With the discovery of the first case, the Federal Government swung into action to check the further spread of the disease, as any lapses might pose an unimaginable danger to not only Nigeria but the entire African continent. The Chinese government too, through its embassy in Nigeria, has praised Nigeria for its solidarity and…
…Iheanacho returns; Dessers, Ehizibue are first-timers Super Eagles Technical Adviser, Gernor Rohr, has listed team captain Ahmed Musa, vice-captain William Ekong and veteran defender Kenneth Omeruo in his 24-man Super Eagles’ roster for the quick-double 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixture against the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone this month. There are also goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi, defenders Leon Balogun and Olaoluwa Aina, midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and forwards Alex Iwobi and Victor Osimhen in the list of three goalkeepers, eight defenders, five midfielders and eight forwards. However, Germany –based defender Kingsley Ehizibue, on the books of FC Koln, and Holland-based…
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has disclosed that over 700,000 Nigerians have so far applied for openings in the ongoing recruitment exercise. Speaking recently with The News Chronicle, INEC’s Federal Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, also revealed that due to the heavy traffic of applications at the job portal, there were some “glitches” which the Commission was working towards to resolve. “As at today, over 700,000 persons have applied. When the portal was opened, there were initially a few glitches. Because of the heavy traffic coming in, yahoo thought those were scam mails coming…
TNC: The Supreme Court has decided to review the case of Imo state. The result from the 388 polling units which Senator Uzodimma claimed were excluded was admitted in evidence and tilted the outcome of the election to his favour. INEC however, still stand by its position that it was not aware of those results from the 388 polling units. Nigerians are actually concerned whether the results were rejected, excluded or cancelled. Also, what implication does this have on the credibility of INEC as an electoral umpire? FO- The constitution enjoins us as a public institution to give effect to…
The European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) awarded a new grant to the new PAMAfrica research consortium led by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). The consortium will support the development of new treatments for malaria in the most-at-risk populations, including;babies, patients with severe malaria, and those with drug-resistant infections. The EDCTP grant of €21.9 million is to be matched by funding from MMV, Novartis and partners. Over a period of 5 years, the grant will support the development of a portfolio of projects executed under the umbrella of the PAMAfrica research consortium. Clinical trial capabilities in Africa will…
Former Super Eagles defender, Joseph Yobo, has disclosed why he is qualified to take the position of Assistant Coach of the Country’s national team, in spite of the criticisms and controversy that trailed his recent appointment as Super Eagle’s Assistant Coach. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had recently announced Joseph Yobo as the Assistant Coach of Super Eagles, taking over from Imama Amapakabo, who was relieved of his duty due to his poor run with the Super Eagles’ B team. Speaking on Channels TV Sports this Morning, the former Everton defender, said it was time to bring to bear his…
The novel COVID19 virus popularly called Coronavirus, has been discovered in an Italian who arrived the country on February 24, 2020, but the patient is said to be “clinically stable”, Nigeria’s Health Minister, Osaze Ehanire, disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja Friday morning. According to the Health Minister, the disease was diagnosed in the man in a laboratory in Lagos and that he was being managed in a facility to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. “He actually landed here in the evening of February 24, but by the time he got to his residence it was…
Dangote Fertilizer Limited (www.Dangote.com) has begun countdown to the inauguration of its $2 billion Granulated Urea Fertilizer complex located in the Dangote Free Zone. This was disclosed in a press release by Dangote Group, made available to News Chronicle dated February 27, 2020. With a capacity of 3 million tonnes per annum, the plant has been classified as the biggest project in the entire fertilizer industry history in the World. Siapem of Italy is the Engineering, Procurement and Supervision (EP) Contractor for the project, while Tata Consulting Engineers, India, is the Project Management Consultants (PMC) for the project. At this…
Former Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, has been found guilty of all seven count charge bordering on money laundering preferred against him by the EFCC. The former PDP spokesman was charged alongside his company Dextra Investment on a seven-count charge of criminal diversion and money received from office of the National Security Adviser. In the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court held that Metuh took possession of N400 million from the Office of the former National Security Adviser. In count one, Abang rules that Metuh took possession of N400 million from…
The Crisis States Research Centre defines a “failed state” as a condition of “state collapse” – i.e., a state that can no longer perform its basic security and development functions and that has no effective control over its territory. The state of insecurity in Nigeria is deteriorating and solution to it seems not to be on sight. It is almost like Nigeria is sitting on a crucible and dancing on the precipice and going by the recent happening at the corridors of power, there is uncertainty and a seeming governance vacuum that insecurity is thriving on. Nigeria has been suffering…
Ebonyi State governor and Chairman, South-East Governor’s forum, Dave Umahi, has disclosed that the South-East governors have reached a compromise with the Inspector-General of Police on the issue of running a Community Police similar to Amotekun. Umahi, while speaking on Channels TV Sunrise Daily, stated that what the IGP introduced to them fitted to what they had in mind “Because of the heightened insecurity in every part of the country, people are agitating for different forms of security protection. The submission of all this agitations is that people want state police and the governors took oath of office to…
Africa is not only ready for the fourth industrial revolution. It is set to outdo the achievements of the developed world. That was one of the messages that emerged at a seminar hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB.org) at its headquarters in Abidjan. The event attracted Ivorian and regional ministers as well as officials, senior Bank staff and private sector executives, including those of tech giants MTN and Orange. “Any big city in Africa is pretty much indistinguishable from the rest of the world, with its mix of fiber, 3G, 4G and even 5G,” said Stefan Nalletamby, Acting Vice…
Justice Peter O. Affen, presiding at the FCT High Court, on Thursday finally declined to add the names of President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick and the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi to a case of financial misappropriation brought before it by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. In his judgment, Justice Affen refused the amendment sought by the EFCC to include Pinnick and Sanusi to a trial involving three members of staff of the NFF (two of whom are no longer with the federation) with regards to the utilization of $8.4million grant from world…
Following the controversy surrounding Taraba governor, Darius Ishaku’s prolonged absence from the state, the government has come out with the reason behind his long absence. Several media channels have reported the backlash from interested persons, the social media buzz and the opposition APC in Taraba over the continued absence of the governor.  And only recently, the Taraba APC Chairman, Barr. Ibrahim El-Sudi accused Gov. Ishaku of abandoning the State and called for his impeachment. He said: “We are not happy or comfortable that we don’t have a governor now because there are things the deputy cannot do in the…
Like the Boko Haram insurgency which is novel to Nigeria, the novel Coronavirus would yet prove to be the single biggest health challenge of the country. It could expose the health system and subject it to a trial that puts the health authorities and political leaders on their toes. Should it find itself into the country, which we hope not, an emergency plan (such as special health facilities and treatment centers to isolate suspected cases), would have to be put in place to contain it. Already, the country is grappling with humanitarian crisis as a result of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping…
Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) (https://www.CorporateCouncilonAfrica.com/) in partnership with Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) hosted a roundtable discussion with Kenyan and U.S. business leaders and government officials to explore how the private sector can support this bilateral effort and take full advantage of investment and trade opportunities that will arise from a Kenya-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. In a press release from Nairobi, Kenya, dated February 20, 2020, says: “this comes as a follow up to the recent visit of H.E. President Kenyatta to the United States, where the U.S. and Kenyan Government announced the launch of talks aimed at establishing…
The seventh Petroleum Report issued by the Ministry of Petroleum, Republic of South Sudan (http://www.MOP-RSS.org/), provides an overview of world oil markets and fundamentals, price forecasts, oilfield reserves, and the ministry’s marketing performance. It forms part of continued efforts by Hon. Eng. Awow Daniel Chuang, the Minister of Petroleum, to promote openness and accountability in this crucial sector, “We are trying to increase transparency in the country’s oil and gas sector, specifically concerning the financial aspects. The Ministry of Petroleum has produced this journal which will provide all the information about our production, sales, and even the environment. We include…
Standard Chartered (www.SC.com) has today announced new business targets for supporting its clients as they transition to a low carbon economy as part of its Sustainability Aspirations. By the end of 2024, the Bank commits to: providing USD40 billion of project financing services for infrastructure that promotes sustainable development. providing USD35 billion of project financing services, M&A advisory and debt structuring services for renewables and clean tech projects (solar and wind). In a press release dated February 20, 2020 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, stated that, “underpinning the aspirations, Standard Chartered also intends to reduce its emissions across its global…
Rebecca Sharibu, the mother of 16-year-old schoolgirl Leah Sharibu, joined a protest outside the Nigerian High Commission in London, organized by CSW to mark the second anniversary of her daughter’s abduction and calling on the Nigerian government to do everything in its power to secure her release. In a press release made available to our reporter dated February 19, recalled that: “Leah Sharibu was the sole Christian among 110 schoolgirls abducted by the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) faction of Boko Haram from their school in Dapchi, Yobe state on 19 February 2018. While her surviving classmates returned a…
KnowB4, from Johannesburg, South Africa, has surveyed eight African countries on cybersecurity and has released its findings. In a press release dated February 19, 2020, from Johannesburg, South Africa, says that “53% of Africans surveyed think that trusting emails from people they know is good enough; 28% have fallen for a phishing email and 50% have had a malware infection; 64% don’t know what ransomware is and yet believe they can easily identify a security threat; 52% don’t know what multi-factor authentication is”. According to the statement: “The 2019 KnowBe4 (http://www.KnowBe4.com) African Report across South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt,…
After the one nil defeat of Liverpool by Athletico Madrid in the Round of 16 first leg, Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, is optimistic about his side’s chances to turn the table in the second leg at Anfield. In a post-match interview, Klopp boasted that so far his eleven players were available; the team will turn the deficit. Hear him: “I saw much worse games in my life but it was absolutely okay, I would say we were not good enough in the last third. I didn’t expect that they would have roughly 70% possession. We were not surprised that they…
As against the usual 22 sports that Nigeria had competed for in previous Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will see Nigeria competing in only 11 sports. This was disclosed by the Honorable Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, during a sports program on Channels TV. According to Dare, the reason why the number has been reduced was in order to ensure proper management of the athletes based on their strengths so as to ensure optimum performance. “Unlike in the past, we competed in about 22 sports, this time around we have put a little bit of precision. We kind of looked…
LUANDA, Angola, February 18, 2020/ — Merck Foundation (https://www.Merck-Foundation.com/) discussed their healthcare development and women empowerment programs with The First Lady of Angola; Merck Foundation met the Minister of Health of Angola to discuss their healthcare capacity building program The news release says, Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany underscored their long-term commitment to build healthcare capacity and empower women during a high-level meeting held between Merck Foundation CEO, Dr. Rasha Kelej and The First Lady of Angola, H.E. ANA DIAS LOURENÇO. Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation explained, “It gave me a great honor to…
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, February 18, 2020/ — The Director of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research at the African Development Bank (https://www.AfDB.org/), Dr Hanan Morsy, has been named one of Egypt’s 50 most influential women. In a press release by Gershwin Wanneburg of the Communication and External Relations Department of the African Development Bank, said, Dr Hala El Said, Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, gave the award on 5 February in a ceremony organized under auspices of the Egyptian Prime Minister. “I am honored to be named among the most influential women in Egypt. This award validates the crucial…
Goals from Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire got the crucial away points for Manchester United against Chelsea at Stanford bridge. Chelsea began on a promising note with attacks on United with Willian and Bashuayi missing some great chances. On the 35th minute, Willian fell just by the 18-yard box after a run in what looked like a foul, but the referee gave him a yellow for simulation. In the 44th minute, United’s Wan Bisaka, the terror in the midfield, had the ball, ran into the right defense area where he beat the United defender and crossed the ball to a…
Considering the dire security challenges the nation has found itself, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani Kayode, has warned President Buhari against listening to those around him. In a long letter, he wrote to the president, FFK as he is fondly known identified some northern elites around the president as being behind the security challenges in the country. He said: “Let us hope that you disregard the advice of the hardliners around you, learn from these words and change your dastardly ways though I doubt that you will”. While quoting a northern scholar, FFK identified the problem this…
One of Nigeria’s fiercest critics, Femi Fani Kayode, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of being insensitive to the plight of Nigerians suffering from Boko Haram attacks and what the “58 years of northern oppression, tyranny, aggression, manipulation, and hegemony over Nigeria has actually done for the northern masses”. In the letter, FFK, as he is popularly known, blasted the president on his attitude towards the ongoing carnage by Boko Haram against innocent citizens. He said: “You released hundreds of Boko Haram fighters from prison claiming that they are reformed and a few days later 30 of your citizens…
In this interview, Aaron Artimas, spoke to The News Chronicle’s EKPEDEME UMOH and VICTOR GAI, Editor and Assistant Editor respectively, about the construction of the 48-year-old moribund 3050 mw Mambilla Power Project which has finally taken off. Stakeholders say it has huge economic, social and political implications for the host state and the nation too. Excerpts: TNC: The Mambilla Power Project has just been flagged off, why has the project not commenced all this while? AA: Well, I don’t want to be misconstrued that we are criticizing past leadership in Nigeria, but we know that there have been projects in Nigeria that…
