Gist Arena

A very interesting article by former President Jonathan's spokesman, Reuben Abati. Read below...first published on Sunday  Vanguard As spokesman to President Goodluck Jonathan, my phones rang endlessly and became more than personal navigators within the social space. They defined my entire life; dusk to dawn, all year-round. The phones buzzed non-stop, my email was permanently active; my twitter account received tons of messages per second. The worst moments were those days when there was a Boko Haram attack virtually every Sunday. The intrusion into my private life was total as my wife complained about her sleep being disrupted by phones that never seemed to stop ringing. Besides, whenever I was not checking or responding to the phones, I was busy online trying to find out if the APC had said something contrarian or some other fellow was up to any mischief. A media manager in the 21st century is a slave of the Breaking News, a slave particularly of the 24-hour ne...

Dr. Nwaruh Henry, who just passed out from NYSC scheme in Ijebu-Ode Ogun state on July 2nd, has gone missing. Family sources say the medical doctor, who hails from Imo state, was heading back home to Anambra state on Thursday July 23rd after completing his mandatory 1 year service when he lost contact with his family. He spoke to his sister last as he left Ogun state and his phones has been off since then. Anyone who knows of his whereabouts should please call the following numbers 08065407796, 07034255279 or report to the nearest police station...

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State says the drop in allocations to the state from the Federation Account is largely responsible for his inability to pay his state civil servants their salaries. Aregbesola said this after he received an award by the Voice of African Women for Human Dignity, an NGO at Abuja yesterday July 24th. "I have found it hard to pay the wage bills owing to the declining federal allocation to the state. Federal allocation to the state has reduced by 40 per cent since 2013, thereby making it difficult for my government to meet its responsibilities,” he said.

A combined team of soldiers and policemen have been drafted to the Ijaw house venue of a proposed meeting by Niger Delta ex-militants. Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the security operatives were deployed on the orders of Governor Seriake Dickson on Friday. Civil servants in Bayelsa Ministry if Culture and Ijaw National Affairs and other government agencies with offices in the same building were denied access to their offices on Friday. The Bayelsa government had announced the cancellation of the meeting convened by ex-militants leaders in Bayelsa in a statement on Friday. The Bayelsa Governor, Mr. Dickson, in a statement by his chief press secretary, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, stated that the governor has offered to meet with the former militants leaders at a later date. “Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson has called for the postponement of the proposed meeting of the leaders of ex-agitators in the Niger Delta, earlier scheduled for this Saturday, 25th of July, 20...

T his photo shows a Nigerian soldier removing an Improvised Explosive Device buried underground in Dikwa town, Borno state yesterday July 24th. The soldier was among troops who recaptured the village from Boko Haram members yesterday. More photos below ..

Kenya is an anti-gay country. Below is what President Obama said when asked during a press conference this afternoon in Nairobi what he thinks about gay rights in Kenya. "The US believes in the principle of treating people equally under the law and that they are deserving of equal protection under the law and that the state should not discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation and I say that recognizing that there may be people that have different religious or cultural beliefs but the issue is how does the state operate relative to people. You can look at the history of people around the world. When you start treating people differently not because of the harm they are doing to anybody but because they are different, that's the path whereby freedom is beginning to erode.   If somebody is a law abiding citizen who is going about their business and not breaking any law and obeying the traffic signs and doing all the things good citizens are supposed ...

His name is Idoko Nicholas Inalegwu and he was a medical student of Benue State University, Makurdi. He died recently in an unexplained accident. His friends believe he committed suicide because he had fallen into heavy depression after receiving news of his withdrawal from medical school after spending 10 years. According to  Benue.com , after the student died, medical students of the school took his coffin and deposited it at the office of the vice chancellor in protest, blaming the school's action for his death. See the photos below Idoko was withdrawn for failing a haphazardly organised resit exam that has bedevilled medical students in the institution over the years. Speaking under anonymity in a telephone conversation, one of the students said they believe that Idoko took his own life because he couldn’t bear the news that his 10 years in medical was in vain. “He had been talking about it, that he wish he died a painless death. The school have finish...

President Barack Obama has visited his father's homeland a few times in the past; in 1988, 1992, 2006 before his visit yesterday. His first visit was in  1988. He was on a journey of self-discovery to know more about his heritage and his father, who split from his mum 2 years after he was born. On his second trip in 1992, he traveled with Michelle, who was his fiancee at the time. They married a few months after that visit. He wanted Michelle to meet his paternal grandmother & other extended family members. He then visited in 2006 as a US senator. He  moved around relatively freely and visited his father’s grave and his grandmother’s tin-roof house. Two years later, he became the president of the United States of America. (he's pictured with his grandmother above). More photos below.. Barack Obama's father, also named Barack Obama, and mother, Stanley Ann Dunham k

Former President Obasanjo has disclosed reasons why he allowed former head of state, Sani Abacha to arrest him in March 1995 for allegedly conspiring abroad against the Abacha regime, despite many opportunities to escape and accept an offer of political asylum by the US. Leadership   reports Obasanjo was among the opposition lights that were against the regime of the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, who ordered their arrest, trials and sentences but spared their lives due to international pressur e. Abacha was the most senior military officer in the illegal contraption called Interim National Government led by Chief Ernest Shonekan after the military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, was forced to resign over the historic annulment of the June 12 June, 1993 election won by Moshood Abiola, who later died in the military gulag. In his newest controversial memoir, ‘My Watch’, he narrated his opposition to the Abacha regime which led him to the format...

not the real image Is it right to give a pastor some money before he prays for you to gain employment???  A neighbor of mine gave me a church bulletin . I went through it and saw testimonies of how people were healed from incurable diseases. Before then, I used to deal with series of infections, from E-Coli, Klebsellia Species, Yeast Infection etc. I treat it, it changes to another thing. I felt it was spiritual, so I took the bulletin, traced the church and went for healing. I was healed through my faith, I wasn't charged a dime. I also witnessed others been healed from High BP, HIV, sickle cell, financial breakthrough, stagnation  etc. The sick came to the alter, mentioned their sickenessses and were healed.  I passed out from NYSC months ago, and due to the unemployment situation in the country, I personally met the Prophet(name withheld). I told him my plight and a certain company I would love to work in, and how I sent my resume to the company...

Talk about being busted! Two female friends were at a basketball game when they spotted a woman seated next to her husband,texting her lover..They took snaps of it, and wrote a note to her husband,telling him what happened.They said he paused,,gave them a thumbs up.They then took to twitter to share the screenshots... Should they have done that ?

While in the US, president Buhari criticized the Leahy Law - a U.S. human rights law that prohibits the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense from providing military assistance to foreign military units that violate human rights. Reacting, the sponsor of the Law, US Senator Patrick Leahy (the law is named after him) said Buhari is misguided in his criticism as the law, which has so far stopped the US govt from assisting Nigeria in the war against Boko Haram, can't be blamed for the atrocities committed by the 'murderers and rapists in the Nigerian military'. “It is well-documented by the State Department and by respected human rights organisations that Nigerian army personnel have, for many years, engaged in a pattern and practice of gross violations of human rights against the Nigerian people and others, including summary executions of prisoners, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, torture, forced disappearances and rape. Rarely have th...

The WWE is cutting all ties with wrestling legend 61 year old Hulk   Hogan after finding out about him angrily using the n-word to describe someone who was dating his daughter. WWE fired Hogan after learning of a transcript of comments made on his sex tape. Hogan is in the middle of a lawsuit over the tape released by Gawker and the n-word remarks are expected to come out once the trial begins later this year. The transcripts of Hogan's sex tape likely stem from his ongoing lawsuit with Gawker, which published an excerpt of the tape in 2012. Hogan is suing Gawker for $100 million for allegedly invading his privacy by publishing it. The WWE released a statement Friday morning saying,  "WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan). WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide." In the weak sex tape, Hogan was...

Gabriel Ogunsawe is a 26-year-old father of one, who is currently jailed at the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department, SCIID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos.  He has been accused of participating in 3 different kidnappings of children. He stated that his first operation was successful but luck ran out on him on his 2nd attempt.  He was arrested, arraigned in court and remanded in Kirikiri prisons for about a year. But no sooner than he got his freedom, he took to the same crime again, he wasn't lucky the 3rd time either. Ogunsawe said:   “I am from Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State.  I am a National Diploma, Accounting student of Lagos State Polytechnic. I was arrested because I was involved in the kidnap of a young child of about four years from Amazing Grace Church in Palm groove area. I was introduced into kidnapping business by a friend called Olayinka. “I have known him for over six years.   It was Olayinka who came up with ...