Gist Arena

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Friday said the party had accepted Senator Bukola Saraki as the President of the Senate. He said the reality was that Saraki’s colleagues had duly elected him and the party was ready to live with the reality. Odigie-Oyegun spoke with State House correspondents shortly after joining members of the transition committee set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to present their report to the President at the Defence House, Abuja. Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, both of the APC, emerged as leaders of the National Assembly on Tuesday against the directives of the party which had earlier asked its members to vote for Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila. Since their emergence, the party had insisted that Saraki, Dogara and their supporters would be sanctioned. When asked specifically whether the party would accept Saraki as the Presiden...

The South African man who made headlines in March for having the world's first successful penis transplant is to become a father. His girlfriend is said to be 4 months pregnant. His doctor, Professor Andre van der Merwe says this development proves without a doubt that 'the transplant worked'. The 21 year old recipient, who has not been identified, lost his penis in a botched traditional circumcision three years ago and had the ground-breaking, nine-hour surgery in December 2014. "This is what we intended, that he should be able to stand up and be able to urinate and have intercourse, so it is a milestone for him," Dr Van der Merwe, head of Stellenbosch University's Division of Urology, told the BBC. He added that he was “very pleased” for his patient that he was to become a father.

The use of camouflage uniforms by various security agencies other than the Armed Forces namely the Army, Navy and the Air Force has been banned. The Nigerian Police will however use the uniform when in Joint Operation with the military or on special operation such as specific anti-riot missions, a statement by the Director of Defence Information, Chris Olukolade, said Friday. Mr. Olukolade, a Major General, said the te new rule followed the directive of the National Security Council approving the recommendations of a committee on measures to streamline the use of camouflage uniforms. This, he said, was in view of the security implications and concerns raised on the clamour, duplicity and proliferation of camouflage uniforms in the country. “The use of camouflage/fatigue is therefore restricted to the military and for occasional use by the police henceforth,” the statement said. Mr. Olukolade added, “The directive also stipulates that the military is to adopt onl...

President Buhari will be departing Nigeria for South Africa on Saturday, June 13, to attend the 25th African Union Summit which is currently taking place in Johannesburg. A statement issued  on Friday  in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari will be undertaking his first continental assignment since taking office by chairing  the meeting of the  Peace and Security Committee of the AU summit, which will hold  on Saturday , the day of his arrival. He will also be holding a number of bilateral meetings that will consolidate his ongoing drive to secure Nigeria and the neighboring countries from Boko Haram. The theme of this year's AU meeting is itself the issue of security. President Buhari will return to Nigeria on the morning of  Tuesday, June 16 .

Regretfully, I am unable to be with you tomorrow morning. However, I extend a warm embrace to you in your resolve to keep within Nigeria’s short memory the events that have been central to the attainment of our democracy – warts and all – enjoyed today by you and me. June 12 remains the true Democracy Day despite the unprincipled efforts of some prime beneficiaries of that struggle to expunge it from a people’s chronicle. If I had been able to join you, I would most certainly have asked you for help. It has to do with the nation’s latest alleged legislative stance against sexual abuse – molestation, rape, paedophilia etc etc. I am only a layman, not a “learned brother”, so any help from the learned is earnestly solicited. The question on my mind is this: is that legislative reinforcement not merely a case of rubbing vaseline on leprosy? In this supposedly progressive bill, sponsored by the respected Senator Chris Anyanwu. I could not help but notice a reiteration ...

A Lagos State High Court on Thursday June 11 sentenced one Osarenwinda Idahor (a.k.a Ösas Idahor) to two years imprisonment on each of the two-count charge bordering on possession of document containing false pretence. The convict was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission sequel to a petition from NASA OIG Computer Crimes Division Goddard Space Flight Centre, United States, alleging that the suspect hacked into the e-mail account of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to send scam messages for advance fee fraud. NASA is the United States government agency responsible for the civilian space programme as well aeronautics and aerospace research. Investigation by the EFCC revealed that the convict disguised himself to be one Mrs Carlow Charles, a cancer patient who wanted to donate the sum of $10,500,000 (Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars Only) to the motherless, widows and less privileged. The convict upon arraign...

The guy who posted these photos on Twitter claims this black car was carrying president Buhari as he left the National Mosque in Abuja this afternoon after Jumaat prayers. There's only one other car driving beside his car; there's no siren or long convoy. If that is really him, then kudos to him. Not all these ones that will be causing traffic when they're moving around.

A 400L student of Chemical Engineering, department of Ladoke Akintola, University of Technology LAUTECH Ogbomosho, Fatai Kolawole, slumped while playing a novelty match organized by his Department earlier this week. According to some of his colleagues, Fatai, who was still gasping for air, was quickly rushed to School Health Center where he later died. One of his colleagues explains... "They gave him breathing tube and tried to cajole us when they knew there was no oxygen in the cylinder. It was when they knew things were getting out of hand that they told us to rush him to Bowen Hospital Ogbomosho, few miles away from the Campus. A nurse was instructed to follow us anyway...we requested for the Health center Ambulance but we were told the driver was sent to buy food, so we hustled our way by hiring a car that conveyed us. On our way, we were stopped by the SARS (Special anti-robbery Squad) we tendered our urgency and they helped us clear the way to Bowen Hospi...

A Former Governor of Lagos State and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu has surprisingly criticized President Muhammadu Buhari, saying he betrayed the party. This is in the wake of events that led to the emergence of Ex-Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki as the President of the Eighth Senate and the return of Chief Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President for a third term. Tinubu, who on Wednesday through the Nation Newspaper, in an article titled “The untold story of PDP’s coup behind Saraki’s Senate Presidency” pointed an accusing finger at President Buhari for displaying neutrality in who emerges as the Senate President without due regard to the fate of the party. According to Tinubu; “Despite the choice of National Assembly leaders being a mixture of party politics and legislative duty, the aloofness, or the perceived neutrality of the President allowed the ‘fight’ within APC to fester until it went out of h...

President Muhammadu Buhari has once again given assurance that his government will closely study the report released recently by Amnesty International, in which top ranking officers of the Nigerian military were accused of gross abuse of human rights. “The president is quite disturbed by the allegations contained in the report,” Garba Shehu, his spokesperson said Friday. “The next step is to look into the allegations and confirm or disprove the disturbing details.” He added that President Buhari has already determined that one of the first assignments of the incoming Attorney General of the Federation would be to look into the Amnesty International report and advise the government on an appropriate course of action. “This is in addition to the internal inquiry he asked the armed services to undertake by themselves,” he said. He also emphasised President Buhari’s commitment to human rights, and his promise that there would be no human rights abuses under his governme...

Venezuelan football fans are being encouraged to strip naked to toast their team’s success at the ongoing Copa America. That’s the call from a group of female reporters who work for a ‘nude news’ service and have promised to simultaneously strip naked each time Venezuela wins a match at the tournament. The women announced their campaign in a cheeky video clip in which they are all nude, but covering their assets with their bare hands. “We believe no one in Latin America likes their team as much as the Venezuelans do,” the Desnudando la Noticia news website team says. “We truly adore our team. We announce that during the Copa America Chile 2015, each time Venezuela wins a match, we will collectively get naked to celebrate our victory.”

An 18 seat bus that left a motor park in Calabar, Cross Rivers state enroute Enugu was involved in a fatal accident at Biase Local government in Cross Rivers state yesterday morning June 11th. 17 passengers in the bus died instantly while one passenger and the bus driver survived with serious injuries. The Police arrived the scene where they helped to remove the bodies which they deposited at the mortuary. Quite sad! May their souls rest in peace, Amen. See pics from the scene. It's quite graphic so be warned.

The dust raised over the National Assembly leadership contests was, yesterday, settling as some antagonists of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara have commenced peace moves with some now eyeing juicy committee positions. The peace moves nonetheless, the two major political parties were unceasing in their own acrimony. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, warned the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, not to intimidate or harass the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the National Assembly Service Commission for performing their statutory functions during the inauguration of the National Assembly. Meanwhile, the threat of sanctions against Senator Saraki and Speaker Dogara pledged by the APC was as at, yesterday, yet to be communicated to the two men or their leading associates. Sources said yesterday, that a number of APC senators who had expressed opposition to the emergence of Senator Saraki have...

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike this morning swore in Commissioners into his cabinet at the Government House. Those sworn in by the Governor include : Mr. Kenneth Kobani, Secretary to the State Government, Engr. Emeka Woke, Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr Emma Okah, Commissioner for Housing, Mr Emmanuel Aguma, Attorney-General of the state, Mrs Onimim Jack, Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Fred Kpakol, Commissioner for Finance and Sir Opunabo Inko-Tariah, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Governor.  

Ganaian actress Jackie Appiah yesterday donated huge undisclosed amount of money and several gift items to victims of the June 3 tragic flood and fire disaster in Accra, Ghana. She visited the 37 Military Hospital and later Nima, a suburb of Accra where she interacted with the flood victims. She donated several items including bags of rice, cartons of water, drinks, toiletries, other food items and an undisclosed amount of money to support the victims.  After presenting the items to the authorities of the 37 Military Hospital, Jackie also visited the children's ward where she interacted with the children on admission and presented several items to them and their parents. Jackie said she was at the hospital to commiserate with those who had lost loved ones, help offer some relieve and wish those on admission speedy recovery.   "Events of last Wednesday still leaves me in shock. Seeing the destruction, loss of lives and properties saddens my heart....

The former beauty queen who is married to a billionaire businessman stepped out in this sexy short skirt and black stockings.