Gist Arena

Lt. Solomon Temitope Ogunsola of  Nigerian army killed in action during CT offensive against Boko Haram in North East. Above is his pic and photo of his final resting place. May his soul rest in peace. Amen.

For the second time in a week, the Senate have refused to deliberate on the ministerial nomination of former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, who resigned last year to pursue his governorship ambition. He was nominated again by President Jonathan but APC senators have vowed to make sure he doesn't become minister again. According to reports, the Senate cleared four ministerial nominees today but shifted debate on Obanikoro and two other nominees to next week.

Benue State Commissioner for Rural Development and Cooperatives, Mr. Aondowase Chia has died at the age of 46. According to reports, after presenting the annual budget of his ministry to the state Executive Council yesterday Tuesday March 3rd, he returned to his office where he slumped. He was immediately rushed to the Benue State Teaching Hospital Makurdi, Benue state by his aides. He died in the early hours of today. Born October 27th 1968, Mr Chia was married with eight children. May his soul rest in peace, amen.

(Reuters) - President Idriss Deby of Chad said on Wednesday he knew the whereabouts of Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram, and called on him to surrender or risk being killed. Chad's army has waged a series of battles against Boko Haram as part of a cross-border military campaign and has re-taken territory the militant group held in northeastern Nigeria. "‎Abubakar Shekau must surrender. We know where he is. If he doesn't give himself up he will suffer the same fate as his compatriots," he told a news conference after a regional meeting. "He was in Dikwa two days ago. He managed to get away but we know where he is. It's in his interests to surrender," Deby said, referring to a town in northeastern Nigeria held by Boko Haram that fell to Chad's army earlier this week. Nigeria's presidency declined to comment on Deby's remarks and a defense spokesman did not immediately respond...

Press statement from Ekiti state ... Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described outbursts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the possible removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega as "mere comedy," saying; "President Goodluck Jonathan can sack Jega if he wishes and if he does, heavens will not fall." The governor, who said the APC should stop acting as if Nigeria belongs to the party, added that; "by turning themselves to advocates and defenders of the INEC chairman, the APC and its agents have shown that they have a deal with Jega to manipulate the elections and that the deal will be frustrated if he is asked to leave office." Governor Fayose said in a release issued on Wednesday, and signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, that "removal of Jega and any other appointees of the Federal Government is a prerogative o...

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Wednesday, dazzled many during a fun filled football match held at MKO International Stadium, Abeokuta when his Presidential Library team slugged it out with a team of Ogun State Government led by the governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun. At the end of the novelty match which was to commemorate the 78th birthday of Obasanjo, OOPL team defeated the state government team with 2-1 Obasanjo who was the skipper for his team displayed some dexterity on the field of play and scored the two goals while the Special Assistant to the governor on Special Duties scored the only goal for the government team. Obasanjo lost about four scoring chances. The first half of a 60-minute of play was goalless, as both team lost scoring chances. But the OOPL team rebound in the second half with players such as Prof. Akin Mabogunje, 88-year-old Dr. Femi Olopade, and one of aides of the former president, Vitalis among other...

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation on Wednesday described the wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan, as “an incredibly crude woman,” but thanked Nigerians for putting up with her. The campaign was reacting to news that Mrs. Jonathan described general Buhari as “brain dead” at a campaign rally in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, a day earlier. This was contained in a statement signed by the campaign’s Director of Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja. According to the campaign, it is not only insulting for Mrs. Jonathan to describe the Presidential Candidate of APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, as “brain-dead,” it is also demeaning of her status as the First Lady. The APC campaign urged President Jonathan to call his wife to order. Shehu said, it was “discourteous and inexcusable” for a wife of any president with a modicum of decency to make such a false and infantile pronouncement about the health status of another...

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he will not be a part of any plans to constitute an interim government that may be formed after the general elections. According to PMNews, he said this while addressing a group of Concerned Nigerians who had come to allay their fears about the upcoming general elections at his home in Abeokuta, Ogun state this morning. He also said that there is no possibility of the election being annulled "You need not to worry about anything. There can never be any June 12 annulment again. Buhari is not Abiola, he is a trained and highly intelligent soldier. Oyegun is not Anenih, Osinbajo is not Kingibe. Jega is not Nwosu, Jonathan is not IBB and this time around, Obasanjo will not support any interim government. Obasanjo will rather support a free, fair and credible election.”he said

  Article written by actress Mercy Johnson Okojie... My picture and that of my daughter, Purity in a Lagos train has surfaced online and quite a number of people have asked me what I was doing in a train and in Lagos for that matter; not Paris or London. I was around Iddo at Ebute Metta when my Range Rover developed a mechanical fault and I had to make a very important appointment in Ikeja regardless of the usual traffic congestion in Lagos. Luckily, a member of my management team was around, he suggested a train ride and we were in Ikeja in less than 30 minutes but that is not the crux of this statement. Like I mentioned earlier, I have had to answer questions in private and public as to why I would board a train because trains in Nigeria are considered a means of transportation for the ordinary and not-so-rich people. A friend called and said I just devalued my brand by being on the train with ordinary people.  I couldn’...

What an adorable photo. David Beckham's oldest child Brooklyn turned 16 today March 4th and the 39 year old proud dad shared this black and while pic above on his Facebook page with t he message "Happy Birthday to my big boy.' He also shared photos of Brooklyn when he was just a year old back in 2000 to mark his birthday. See the photos below David and Brooklyn on the football field durin g the Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur FA Premiership game in 2000 . Brooklyn got a pair of Yeezy trainers from Kanye West as a birthday present.

Karrueche just tweeted this. She has said her goodbye to Chris Brown. For some reason, I kind of feel she means it this time. We all heard today that Chris is the father of a 9months old daughter. She probably read it on TMZ like we all read it. And if she's dumping him over it, it means it's true. Poor Karrueche! She must be hurting

President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to pay with immediate effect all outstanding monies owed to oil marketers so as to end the current gruelling fuel scarcity that has crippled the nation and caused untold hardship to millions of people. This came as the fuel scarcity in Abuja and other cities worsened further, yesterday, despite assurances from the Federal Government of improved supply, as motorists experienced increased difficulties in their quest to purchase Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, from petrol stations. The President who restated his commitment to Nigerians in Abuja, yesterday, said the public need not bear the burden of needless bureaucracy as is presently the case, and that they don’t need excuses but solutions which must be provided. Consequently, petroleum marketers are, therefore, meeting Federal Government officials today with a v...

Oh Karrueche! If this is true, then your man had an un-break baby or was it while you two were dating? They break up and make up so much, that Chris can actually say this happened during one of those breaks. Anyway, according to a report by TMZ, Chris Brown is the proud father of a 9 month old baby girl. Read the TMZ report below   Chris and alleged daughter side-by-side The baby's mother is a 31-year-old former model named Nia   --   who we're told has known Chris for several years.  Sources connected to both Nia and Chris tell us they are on very good terms -- however they're not together romantically. We're told 25-year-old Chris is happy about being a father. It does not appear there is a formal child support order in place -- and we do not know the nature of any informal terms of support. One thing's for sure ... baby girl looks a lot like Daddy.

The Bauchi state Police command have arrested a 19 year old man identified as Salisu Salmanu, who claims to be a nephew of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, for conniving with three of his friends to kidnap his own three year old younger brother, Abdulkadir Salmanu, and demanding a ransom of N10m from his father. Salisu is said to be the son of the elder brother of the FCT Minister. According to a report by  Punch , the state police spokesperson, DSP Haruna Mohammed confirmed the incident and said Salisu in company of his friends identified as ; Imrana Abdullahi, 17, Abdullahi Mohammed, 19, and Umar Musa, 19, all residents of the Kofar Idi area of the Bauchi metropolis were arrested on February 28th. “The suspects conspired with four others, now at large, to kidnap one Abdulkadir Salmanu, male and three years old Kofar Idi, took him to Gwallameji and demanded 10m ransom from the parents. The victim was liberated by the police an...

A pregnant woman, Mrs Mercy Chintua, has been arrested by the operatives of Enugu State Police Command over allegation of assault on her neighbour, whom she said spied on her while she was taking her bath. The suspect, who resides at Akwuke, Awkunanaw axis of Enugu State, had allegedly poured hot water on the victim, Emmanuel Anyebe, for allegedly peeping on her while she was having her bath on February 23. Confirming the incident, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu said: “Mercy poured hot water on the victim as he was going to bath. She alleged that the victim was peeping into the bathroom while having her bath. “The hot water inflicted serious body burns on the victim. As a result of the injuries sustained from the act, he was unconscious and was rushed to a nearby hospital. The victim has denied ever peeping on the woman during bath. “The suspect has, however, pleaded for leniency as she ascribed her actions to demonic sp...

Patience Jonathan, Nigeria’s first lady, has appealed to Nigerian women to vote en masse for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the forthcoming presidential election because the brain of Muhammadu Buhari, the party’s opponent, is dead. Speaking on Tuesday during the PDP women presidential campaign rally in Kogi state, she described Buhari as unfit to be the country’s president. “Wetin him dey find again? Him dey drag with him pikin mate,” she said in pidgin English. “Old man wey no get brain, him brain don die pata pata.” Moved by the cheers of the crowd, the first lady sporadically sang to taunt her husband’s main challenger at this month’s presidential election. “If you vote Buhari, na your prison; if you vote APC, na your wahala,” she sang. “What is change? Why did you not change things when you were there? Is it now that you want to be doing the things you weren’t doing before? “Jonathan looked at us and said women, I am givi...