Gist Arena

The 22-year-old admits the Selecao players are enjoying the alternative mental approach on offer in camp as they cope with the pressure of expectation as the host nation Neymar has praised Luiz Felipe Scolari's decision to hire a psychologist to help the Brazil squad keep their emotions in check during the World Cup. With the Selecao under huge pressure to win the competition for a record sixth time in front of their own fans this summer, several players have been reduced to tears during the national anthem before games. Some of the Selecao squad also appeared emotional after the team’s tense penalty shootout victory over Chile in the last-16 tie in Belo Horizonte. That reaction led to Brazil's technical director and 1970 World Cup-winner Carlos Alberto criticising the team for allowing their feelings to take over, and Scolari hiring psychologist Regina Brandao to work with the players - a move praised by Neymar. "I had never done anything like it before and I...

In a recent interview with BellaNaija, the singer defended her virginity offer to Boko Haram which according to her still stands. Adokiye said, "I made an open offer to some group of people. The question is why they haven’t accepted my request? They should gather up the girls, prepare them for release and then I am sure they will find out if I’m still a virgin. "I stand by my words to say I don’t mind being an exchange for the release of those kids so they can go back to their families. Whatever it is they are going through, for them to be released should be thrown to me. And If they have turned the young girls to their sex slaves, they should consider releasing them and turn me to one." When asked if her offer was a publicity stunt to promote her music and image, she asked "promote what music?" saying she has not released any music neither does she have plans of releasing any music anytime soon. She said, "As for my image, if crying for fre...

The Fifa president is glad to see the striker has accepted responsibility for his actions and is looking forward to seeing him back on the field at the end of his suspension Fifa president Sepp Blatter praised Luis Suarez after the Uruguay striker apologised for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini. Suarez was suspended from all football-related activity for four months and banned for nine international games after being found guilty of biting Chiellini during the Group D World Cup fixture in Natal on June 24. And Blatter told reporters at a seminar in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday that he was pleased with Suarez's stance. "He said 'I'm sorry' to the soccer family, and that's fair play too," Blatter said. "That shows he's a great player and I hope he can have his soccer career back." The 27-year-old, who was banned for biting an opponent for the third time in his professional career, had initially protested his innocence follo...

Head coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, has been offered a new two-year deal by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, theeagleonline.com.ng reports. According to the report, the new deal is expected to worth nothing less than N168 million, while Keshi’s monthly salary would also be increased to N7million for Keshi to remain at his post. Prior to Nigeria’s exit from the ongoing 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Keshi was being paid a monthly salary of N5 million. However, the 0-2 defeat to the Les Blues of France in the round of 16 of the world cup ended Keshi’s contract with the NFF. It was gathered that the Nigerian football governing body decided to offer Keshi an improved deal amid confusion over the status of his employment. Some reports had claimed that Keshi, who is yet to append his signature to the new deal, complained about the clauses contained in the new contract papers. Speaking with theeagleonline.com.ng on the matter, Keshi stated that part of...

Imagine how it will sound if they decides to change NIGERIA To AIREGIN and I wonder if changing of the name will have any economic impact on it's citizens. According to Vanguard ,  A federal government delegate, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN yesterday called for change of the present name of Nigeria to a proposed one called “Airegin” because according to him, the name Nigeria was twisted by the colonialists and it would make a clean brake from the past. Speaking yesterday while contributing at plenary during debate on report of committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government with Gen. Ike Nwachukwu and Mohammed Umara Kumalia as co- Chairmen, Ozekhome also called for a reversal from the present National Anthem to the former and older one which was written by Taiwo Akinwumi, adding that the old flag that was designed with the rising sun on it should be re-introduced against the backdrop that it was peculiar with all parts of the country. The delegate who noted that wh...

Told y'all yesterday about some snakes that were found tangled in electric wires on a street in Benin city (Read  H ERE ). Well, here's what the people of Ekosodin did to the snakes. They are still trying to figure out how the snakes got on the wires.  #flyingthinz!  :-). See more pics below

National leader of the APC and former governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu has reacted to the allegations made against him by the Minister of Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro yesterday July 2nd. Obanikoro in a series of tweets had alleged that Tinubu's friends created the Boko Haram mess being experienced in Nigeria today.  In a statement released last night through his media aide, Tinubu refuted the allegations, saying it is the PDP and Obanikoro that are aiding Boko Haram. Find his statement after the cut... " The defence budget to fight Boko Haram and terrorism has become a conduit pipe for the ruling party PDP just as the likes of Obanikoro continue to use Boko Haram as a tool of blackmail against the opposition. This time , just like it failed in the past, it will not stick. It will not stand. It is the PDP-led government in which Obanikoro is an active and pliable agent that is perpetrating the insurgency for pecuniary benefits. This government has no shame. ...

Ali baba leave pastors alone, people are not complaining.

Rumour have it that Jay Z was caught cheating on Beyonce. Now Bey has CONFIRMED OUR REPORT. Two days ago in Cincinatti, Ohio Beyonce CHANGED THE WORDS to her song resentment - to make it CLEAR that she's talking about HER RELATIONSHIP WITH JAY. By the way, Jay and Bey have been together for 12 years. Here are the lyrics Beyonce was supposed to sing: I'll always remember feeling like I was no good / Like I couldn't do it for you like your mistress could Been ridin' with you for six years... I gotta look at her in her eyes and see she's had half of me. Here is what she actually sang, notice the CAPITALIZED TEXT: I'll always remember feeling like I was no good / Like I couldn't do it for you like THAT WHACK B*TCH could Been ridin' with you for TWELVE years...I gotta look at her in her eyes and see she's had half of me. SHE AIN'T EVEN HALF OF ME. THAT B*TCH WILL NEVER BE Listen:

The remains of clergyman & founder of Christ Revival Victory Chapel International Lagos, Prophet Iretiola Ajanaku, who died 11 months ago on August 22nd 2013, will finally be laid to rest on  July 17th 2014 .   Late Prophet Ajanaku's widow, Joy Ajanaku and some elders of the church had refused to bury him all this while because they were convinced he will rise again but have now accepted that once a man is really dead, he's really dead.   In a statement released by the church's media personnel, Shola Bamidele, a lying-in-state will be held at the Church premises and then interred in his home. See the statement after the cut... "Our Father, a true icon of God and Founder of the Christ Revival Victory Chapel International , Prophet Ajanaku, who passed away on Saturday August 17th 2013, shall be laid to rest on Thursday July 17th 2014 . This burial ceremony is intended to put to rest all post death controversy surrounding the ...

Popular movie director Mac Collins Chidebe has blasted actress Genevieve Nnaji for insulting Nollywood, the industry that gave her the fame and the food she is eating today. Read what the man has to say:  "Genevieve has just insulted the industry that made her who she is today and what effort has she made to help improve Nollywood? Those days in Enugu when Genevieve was growing in Nollywood, our movies were not rubbish; she has grown now, made money, fame, popularity e.t.c, how much has she invested in this Industry that made her?  " All the while she was busy waiting for Titanic scripts, Nollywood was trying their best to keep the flag flying waiting for her to come back and take the industry to the next level. Artistes should stop biting the fingers that fed them . We are watching and waiting for them to bring down heaven. We made them stars; we are waiting for them to come back and take the industry to the next level. Instead of blasting Nollywood, come and improv...

How can you sell your fellow human being? The quest for money is really pushing people to the extreme: The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four women for allegedly abducting and selling a nine-year-old girl, identified as Blessing, for N650,000. The women are Fausat Ogidan, Abibat Oresanya, Bola Obajuruwa and Idiyat Abass. The women were apprehended on Sunday, June 6, after a tip-off. The Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, had directed the command’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad, led by SP Abba Kyari, to go after the child sellers’ syndicate. Mrs Fausat Ogidan, who was with the nine-year-old girl, and had collected the money on behalf of others, was arrested in the Gbagada area of Lagos. According to Punch, that the 51-year-old woman, who is married with four children, had arranged to sell the girl on that Sunday. The girl was given to Ogidan by Mrs Bola Obajuruwa, commonly known as Iya Alaje, who lives in the Suberu Street in the Alakuko area of Lagos. Iya A...

This is the 11th season and the deep forest of the ancient Aguleri community in Anambra will be playing host to the 2014 edition of Gulder Ultimate Search. Mr. Edem Vindah, Corporate Media and PR Manager, Nigerian Breweries Plc, made the announcement while unveiling this year’s edition tagged ‘The Mission’. Mr Vindah, who stood in for Mr. Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser, said after the successful hosting of ninth and tenth editions of the television reality show by the Usaka community in Obot Akara, Akwa Ibom State, some brave and determined young Nigerians will be going into the forest of Aguleri in Anambra for another round of search to retrieve the ‘Cube’. “For 28 days between 19 September to 16 October, we will be entertained to an original Nigerian adventure programme with international class standards. Neither the nervous, faint-hearted or weak contestants will make it through the hurdles.” Mr Vindah noted that this year’s entry is free and the selecti...

If not that the man's wife called him earlier and he told her he was in Pastor's house, no one would know: Nigerian Police operatives attached to Ogun State Police Command have arrested a popular pastor in the state identified as Pastor Abimbola Alonge, for allegedly killing his friend, Yusuf Kamilu, for rituals. Mr Kamilu’s wife, Adijat, said after her husband was found at a junction lying half-dead the following morning, the pastor lied to them on phone that he travelled. Read what she said below: “At about 10am when he left the house on Tuesday, Pastor Alonge called him on phone, and my husband replied that he was already about leaving. He promised to come back at about 6pm because I was not feeling alright too, and I was even using drugs. “By 3pm that same day, I called him on phone again asking whether my ATM card was with him because I needed to withdraw some money.  He still answered me cracking a joke, and I heard the voices of about four persons laughi...

Security agencies have moved a suspected Boko Haram leader, Babuji Ya’ari, who was alleged to be one of the masterminds of the kidnap of female pupils from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2014, to Abuja Investigations by our correspondents on Wednesday showed that the Boko Haram leader was moved to Abuja early this week from his Maiduguri base, where he was arrested. A top security source, who disclosed this to one of our correspondents, said that Ya’ari was being interrogated in connection with the abduction of the Chibok girls. He said that security agencies were trying to get from him, information that could assist in the release of the girls, who had been in Boko Haram custody for more than 70 days. The source stated, “I can tell you that the suspect has been moved to Abuja. He was brought to Abuja early this week. He is being interrogated in connection with the abduction of the girls. “What is important to the Federal Government now is ho...

LAGOS — A 32-year-old bus conductor, Sunday Thomas, has been arraigned before a Lagos chief magistrate’s court, sitting at Ebute-Meta for allegedly kidnapping his neighbour’s four-year-old daughter. According to Vanguard , The bus conductor and others, now at large, were said to have conspired to abduct his neighbour’s daughter, Favour Anani. The defendant, arraigned before Magistrate A. Demi-Ajayi, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and kidnap, preferred against him by the Police. Thomas, an Ibibio from Akwa Ibom State, was alleged to have committed the offence May 26 at about 4 a.m., at their residence, 8, Yahaya Street, Shasha, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State. The prosecutor, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Etim Nkankuk,  told the court that the mother of the girl, Joy Anani, a Togolese, had informed the Police that she suspected the defendant because he had been telling her that he liked the girl and that one day he would take her away. H...

The African online television service, PanaTV has signed an exclusive deal with Soda Pictures, acquiring the rights to subscription VOD for one of the most acclaimed films from Africa this year, Half of a Yellow Sun. The deal makes PanaTV.com the first online television service to stream the film exclusively on its platform in the UK. And in a deal concluded with monterey media, PanaTV has secured non-exclusive rights to stream Half of a Yellow Sun in the US along with a limited shared exclusive pre-window. The movie will be available for VOD in the US from June 29th and in the UK from August 2014. Says Mandy Roger, PanaTV’s Head of Content: “This demonstrates that we seek out high quality films for our viewers; expect to see more of such quality films and content on PanaTV this year.” “We are delighted that Half of a Yellow Sun will be streaming on PanaTV, and believe it is a great home for the film to connect with audiences,” says Louise Rae, Head of Home Entertainment at So...

The popular Igwu bridge linking Ndi Ebe Abam to other towns collapsed yesterday July 1st when a 25 tons tipper carrying gravel plied on it. Fortunately no life was lost but now the villagers say they have been cut off from other towns as a result of the collapsed bridge which served as the only motor-able road through which the indigenes used to connect with other towns. They sent me the photo and asked that we appeal to the Arochukwu L.G.A. Chairman and Abia State government to come to their aid, saying people residing in the town have been adversely affected by this mishap. They are appealing to the authorities concerned to help them rebuild the bridge in a modern form that will last longer than the former one which was made with irons and planks and maintained by the indigenes for many years. They also implored the government to help them construct the road which has been neglected for years.

D'banj pictured above with one of the richest men in the world, Bill Gates. He tweeted that he arrived Monaco on the 28th so I'm guessing this happened in Monaco. He also met one of the richest men in Africa, Sudanese-born billionaire, Mo Ibrahim and singer and humanitarian, Bono. Check out the pic below

Source in Benin sent in the pics. Says they, residence of Market Road in Ekosodin, Benin City, woke up yesterday morning July 2nd to find several snakes bunched up and tangled in the electric wires in the street. "We have been confused and keep on wondering just how they got there. We eventually looked for a way to get rid of them by removing them and using the electric power to burn them. We don't know the means by which they got there o, whether its through spiritual means, we are still wondering. May God help us" He said