Gist Arena

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said the use of only military operations to tackle Boko Haram activities in Nigeria and other violent groups across the world cannot end insurgency. A statement on Friday by the African Export-Import Bank, indicated that the former president said this during the bank’s 22nd Annual General Meeting held in Lusaka, Zambia. Obasanjo, speaking about conflicts in Africa, also said the crises were caused by failure to address certain social problems in the society such as educational disparity. Afrixembank’s spokesman, Obi Emekekwue quoted Obasanjo in the statement thus, “He proposed a carrot and stick solution to the conflicts on the continent through an approach involving military solutions and social development since a purely military approach would not work. “According to Obasanjo, a situation, such as in Nigeria, where one section had an educational attainment level of 79 per cent while another had only 19 per cent, c...

The crisis set off by the recent election of the principal officers of the National Assembly may be far from over despite the All Progressives Congress’ recent assurance that it has put its house in order. Aggrieved APC senators, on Saturday, demanded for the immediate resignation of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. The senators, who are loyal to Senator Ahmad Lawan, the party’s candidate for the Senate presidency, insisted that Ekweremadu’s resignation was one of the conditions that would make the faction to recognise Senator Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate. The aggrieved lawmakers, under the auspices of the Senate Unity Forum, however, stated that they had nothing personal against Saraki and Ekweremadu. APC senators had been divided over the leadership of the National Assembly since the controversial elections. The ruling party had chosen Lawan for the Senate presidency and Femi Gbajabiamila as its candidate for the House of Represe...

Amid public outcry over President Muhammadu Buhari’s delay in announcing his choice of ministers, the Presidency has begged Nigerians to be patient. Shortly before his May 29 inauguration, Buhari had reportedly rejected plans by governors of the All Progressives Congress the party leadership in the states to submit ministerial nominees to him. The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media, Garba Shehu, in an interview with Sahara TV on Saturday, argued against comparing Buhari’s government to such states as Kaduna and Rivers, which have appointed some commissioners. According to Shehu, following the 2011 elections, many South-West governors took several months to form their governments. He said, “The President did say he would hit the ground running, but he has not been given the chance to hit the ground running because the administration that he succeeded — the Jonathan administration — did not deliver the handover notes until two o...

First Lady Aisha Buhari and wife of Vice President Dolapo Osinbajo met with some mothers of the missing Chibok girls yesterday June 12th. 

Billionaire businessman Femi Otedola pictured with his daughters DJ Cuppy and Temi (a Fashion, Beauty & Travel Blogger) who graduated from The American School, London today. And of course, don't forget their gorgeous mum.

A young lady identified as Um Haleema who was impregnated by a Boko Haram member while she was held captive by the sect for over a year has vowed to keep her 7 months pregnancy and birth her child despite widespread condemnation and threat from her kinsmen who feel it is unacceptable to keep the pregnancy. Speaking exclusively with CNN, Haleema said she was kidnapped when she was 16 years old and 'married off' to one of the sect members. She said while in the camp, she tried to escape but was caught. "I had planned my escape from the beginning. There is a time my husband spent two weeks away, so I attempted to escape but guards returned me and beat me." Haleema said she somehow found a way to escape on a day when the security in the camp was relaxed and she walked through the bush for days until she found her way back to her village where she discovered that her husband had been killed by the sect members and their home destroyed. She also discovered whe...

These shocking photos show the condition of a Lagos street named Kojo in Ajegunle after heavy rainfall this week.  

. ..The one that reported about those who will most likely make his cabinet...

Popular media personality Toke Makinwa is the number one trending topic on Nigerian Twitter right now. There was a report earlier today that Toke's husband, Maje Ayida allegedly got his ex-girlfriend, a girl based in Calabar named Anita Solomon ,pregnant and she's off to the UK to give birth to the child. I don't know how true this is (I hope it's not) but it's got Twitter buzzing. See people's reactions below  

A 60 year old rapist and paedophile has admitted to raping his two step-daughters and deliberately infecting them with HIV. He originally denied the accusations but is now awaiting sentence after changing his plea to guilty on the second day of his trial this week. He has since developed full-blown AIDS. One of the girls was about 11 when she contracted the potentially deadly virus. Her sister was 14. Now one of the girls, now 22, tells how she only found she had been infected during a  routine antenatal blood test when she got pregnant by her boyfriend. She said that moment of happiness turned to devastation when she found out. She knew immediately she had to try to save her younger sister, still only 12, from the same fate. But tests after her sister was removed from the family home by social services showed that she, too, had been infected. Shockingly, their mother stood by the man as he accused the girls of lying. The daughter’s only reli...

The Enugu State Police Command on Saturday rescued nine pregnant girls during a raid on a baby factory at the 9th Mile area of the state. The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, said that the baby factory belonged to Ikechukwu Onoh who ran the baby factory from his home. Onoh was arrested during the raid and the girls are now in Police custody The ladies were identified as Stella James, 19, from Ohaozara, Ebonyi State; Eze Jennifer, 19, from Obukpa in Nsukka LGA, Enugu State; Ugwu Christabel, 17, a native of Aku, in Igbo-Etiti LGA, Enugu State; Happiness Mbaonu, 17, from Nnewi, Anambra State; and Ovunna Ifeoma, 20, from Ezza, in Ebonyi State, Esther Nwankwo, 21, a native of Nkalagu, in Ebonyi State; Onyedika Agu, 23, of Isuawa, Awgu in Enugu State; Blessing James, 23, from Ohafia, Abia State; and Chibueze Ujunwa, 24, from Aninri LGA, Enugu State. Onoh claimed that he got a provisional approval in October 2007 from th...