Gist Arena

Apparently, there was a report by Sahara Reporters recently that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala's family was planning to open a multi-million dollar hospital in Abuja...but the former Minister says this is not true. (Read That HERE and Her response below...) Having failed to achieve any success after months of unsubstantiated figures and wild allegations against Dr Okonjo-Iweala, the political and corrupt vested interests who have been attacking her have now turned their evil attention on her family. The false story, “Former Finance Minister Okonjo-Iweala’s Family to open multi-million Dollar Hospital in Abuja” published by the corrupt website, Sahara Reporters is the latest chapter in the anti-Okonjo-Iweala campaign. The story is totally baseless for a very simple reason: The alleged hospital is non-existent. Anyone who is in doubt can go to Gwarinpa, Abuja where the hospital is allegedly located or enquire from General Electric and Perkins + Will Global, the two organisations that...

Kaduna State Government hosted the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon today. A dinner at Transcorp Hilton was held in his honour. Governors of Lagos, Abia, Borno, Nasarawa, Edo State & many more dignitaries were present. More photos below.. Photo Credit: @MusadiqZ

  Most impoverished 25 million Nigerians who have been promised conditional N5,000 per month under the present government are beginning to lose hope as no step has so far been taken towards fulfilling the promise. The present government under President Mohammed Buhari, has promised to pay a monthly stipend of N5000 to the most deprived Nigerians on condition that they immunised their children and send them to school. The promise, which was also one of the 12 cardinal agenda of the rulling All Progressive Change, APC, during and after its presidential campaigns has been repeated several times by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo at various public gatherings. Investigation by our reporter shows that no single measure has been taken by say, ways of identifying, documenting and setting up a data on the supposed beneficiaries, talk less of making payment arrangements for this category of Nigerians. Also, the monetary implication of paying N5,000 to 25 milli...

Contrary to accusations that he absconded and abandoned his duty post during the last general elections, the Returning Officer, (RO) for Abia North Senatorial district, Dr. Ihekweaba Chukwugoziem says he merely refused to sign a fake result allegedly presented to him by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Ihekweaba made the statement before the National Assembly Tribunal, where he testified as a witness in the petition filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief David Ogba Onuoha-Bourdex against Senator Mao Ohuabunwa of the PDP. He explained that rather than abdicating his duties, he stoutly refused to declare the result of the election based on the falsified data presented to him, adding, “we started to examine the results local government by local government, and after we examined Arochukwu and Ohafia results and discovered huge anomalies, the Respondents refused and resisted the continuation of the examination of the remaining three local ...

Prototype of Iweala's multi-million dollar hospital in Abuja The husband and son of immediate past Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, are set to open a multi-million dollar hospital in the Gwarimpa area of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s husband, Ikemba Iweala, and their son, Uchechi Iweala, are teaming up to establish the Capital Health and Surgical Care Center in Abuja. Both men, who are medical doctors, will serve as chairman of the board and medical director respectively at the medical facility described as state of the art.  The hospital was originally to be formally opened last June by former President Goodluck Jonathan, on the assumption that he would be reelected. Mr. Jonathan’s defeat froze the idea. Information available on the hospital’s website, http://www.chscnigeria.com/home/page?id=Press , states that the hospital “is conceived to improvetertiary-level healthcare delivery in Nigeria and Greater West Africa by providing top-...

The immediate past governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, has again explained why he is opposed to and wants to stop the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by his successor, Nyesom Wike to probe some selected government transactions, while he (Mr. Amaechi) was governor. In a statement released by the former governor’s media office Sunday, Mr. Amaechi said he’s not afraid of a fair and decent probe or investigation or inquiry of his administration; and would cooperate and support such probe or investigation or inquiry in as much as it’s done within the ambit of our laws. The statement continues: “However what Wike has set out to do is anything but a fair probe. The commission will not be fair to Amaechi because it was set up to indict him. Wike had repeatedly held that Amaechi, the person to be investigated, acted illegally in the disbursement of public funds and that Amaechi ran a corrupt government. Clearly, Wike has prejudged the matter and showed his bias tha...

The Gold Digger You've probably at one point in time or another come across these ones, especially if you're financially buoyant. Whether or not you spend on her is up to you and that doesn't make her a gold digger. However, what does make her a gold digger is if after spending a lot of your resources on her, she still rebuffs your advances, doesn't show any interest in you; but she wants you to keep taking care of her bills, taking her to places with no sign that the relationship is moving forward over time. You spending much more on her thinking she'll grow to like or want you is wasting your time and your hard earned money. If she isn't into you when you take her to the movies or a picnic in the park, make no mistakes bro, taking her to 5 star dining won't make a difference either...talk to your legs. She's Still Into Her Ex If she's the type that can't get over her ex, it's probably 'cause she still got feelings ...

The Ekiti State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated Governor Ayodele Fayose for reportedly mocking the legacies of former Governor Kayode Fayemi as not worthy of emulation and sustaining, stating that 10 months after inauguration, the governor could not point to any project he had initiated except conducting road shows, including buying pepper and tomatoes in open markets to pose as a friend of the poor. The party in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said all the governor had done so far had tended towards taking sufferings to the doorsteps of Ekiti people. Olatunbosun, who affirmed that Fayemi’s legacies presented the best opportunities for Ekiti State to grow, stated that Governor Fayose was not only destroying himself, but also mortgaging the future of Ekiti people through stomach infrastructure that provides a kilogramme of rice and three-month-old chicken at every Christmas. He said Instead of accusing Fayemi of fictit...

Tragedy struck on Friday in Asaba, Delta State, when a 37-year-old house wife, Maureen Akowe, a graduate of sociology from the state-owned university allegedly lost her four-month-old baby to her dog. It was gathered that the four- month-old baby was driven in the mother’s car alongside the dog to a popular supermarket along Okpanam Road, Asaba, where the house wife had gone for shopping for the baby’s upkeep. Report says the unsuspecting nursing mother left the baby, a nanny and the dog inside the car and wound down the windows to allow ventilation into the car before moving into the supermarket. LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered from witnesses that while she was busy shopping, the dog allegedly made straight for the little baby to eat her up while the nanny screamed for help but all to no avail. The shouts by the nanny attracted two security personnel at the supermarket to the car but by which time the baby, identified as Chinonso, had been bitten severally on the stom...

Sokoto state residents have come out in their numbers to clean their streets following the announcement of N1million reward by the state governor, Aminu Tambuwal, to residents of the cleanest streets.  Tambuwal yesterday made the announcement as a way to ensure that the state is kept clean. The runner-up street will get N750,000 while the 2nd runner-up will get N500,000.

The International Criminal Court has commenced investigation of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, for statements made about the Igbo’s in the build-up to the Lagos governorship election. In the statement, available on line, Mr. Akiolu vowed that Igbos in Lagos who voted against his preferred candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode, would sink in the Lagoon. Mr. Ambode of the APC eventually defeated Jimi Agbaje of the PDP in a highly contested election. The son of a late former governor of old Anambra State, Josef Onoh, on April 21, petitioned the ICC on the statement and asked the world jury to investigate the threat and bring the monarch to justice. The ICC had earlier in the year acknowledged receipt of Mr. Onoh’s petition and promised to give consideration to his request. Mr. Onoh petitioned the ICC saying he believes that Mr. Akiolu’s threat amounted to a call for violence to be perpetrated against the Igbo in Lagos in the event that the APC governorship candidate lose...

It was at the burial of PA JB Ajayi, the noise of Oshokomole rented the air as worshippers wondered who was arriving. It later turned out to be the Governor of the state, His Excellency Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose. The Governor adorning a white Agbada sent a section of the crowd on wild jubilation as they hailed him before he was led to the front seat by church ushers and security aides where he joined his 3 predecessors, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Engineer Segun Oni and Dr. Kayode Fayemi. He had an official handshake with all of them before taking his seat next to his immediate predecessor Dr. Kayode Fayemi. The Fayose/Fayemi Drama Trust Governor Ayodele Fayose, he will always create a room for drama especially when the atmosphere is a “Charged One” like the one of Baba JB Ajayi’s funeral where he had all his 3 predecessors who are now in the opposition sitting with him. In sitting directly next to his immediate predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Ayo Fayose came out with his trait as ...

Cousins  Ibrahim Nyam and Jimmy Pam  were ambushed and killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen as  they were heading to Jos from Barkin Ladi last week. According to family sources, the Fulani herdsmen attacked the men and left them in the pool of their blood. Both men were married and had children. The rate of attacks in that area has been on the rise. Something needs to be done fast. May their souls rest in peace. Graphic pic below

Presidential media aide Shehu Garba said something recently that I want us to discuss. Find it below.. “Out of respect to Mrs. Buhari, the Sierra-Leonian First Lady, Mrs. Sia Koroma recently surrendered her position of head of Africa’s First Ladies to Mrs. Buhari, inviting her to take up the same seat which Mrs. Jonathan hurriedly handed over a few weeks to the handover of her husband’s government to President Buhari. Again, all these things are currently under consideration and no decision has been arrived at presently" If Pres. Buhari has or wants to abolish the office of The First Lady during his administration, (the media has been asked to refer to Aisha Buhari as the wife of the president and not First Lady) does it not disqualify her to head Africa's First Lady, since she's technically not a First Lady? Thoughts? I ask because Mr Garba said that they are considering it. Below are other things he said...   “President Buhari promised that there ...

Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomhole has alleged that a whooping N140bn was paid as consultancy fee for the construction of a second Niger bridge by the last administration. Oshiomhole  said this while reacting to insinuations that the Buhari led government was victimizing the Igbos because they did not vote for him. He said if at all there was any victimization, it was in the last administration. "For those who are interested in politics of sharing, I am not interested; I am interested in the politics of baking. If the competent hands come from one family and they will deliver to the nation so be it. If a Kenyan can be elected as an American President why should we continue to discuss South South or South East.   The second Niger Bridge is what Ndigbo needs to ask Jonathan, where is that bridge? They did ground breaking, water breaking, where is the bridge? When Father Mbaka talked about the shame of Onitsha-Enugu road, people misconstrued his comments. Let me tell ...

Former Spokesperson to former President Jonathan, Reuben Abati, says contrary to what many believe, Jonathan is not a drunkard. He said for all the years he worked as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the former president, he only saw him drink wine during government functions. Abati cleared the air during a recent interview with Rockcity 101.9 FM, Abeokuta, Ogun State. "President Jonathan does not drink. You see, that’s one of the myths about that administration and you must understand how this thing is, it’s all about perception, communication, it’s all about what goes out and it’s about stereotyping. People just stereotype people from a particular part of the country as drunkards, and they look for justification for one type of behaviour or the other.   But I can tell you that in my 4 years of working for President Jonathan, I never found him in a bibulous situation. If he ever tasted any drink, maybe a glass of wine during special occasions. All those stories...

United States’ Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, tells  BAYO AKINLOYE that America is not responsible for the loss of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential election and that America is working with Nigeria to extradite Senator Buruji Kashamu What  should Nigeria and the United States look forward to, following the Washington DC meeting between Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Barack Obama? First of all, let me state that, of course, I was in Washington for the visit. I had the privileges of sitting in on the Presidents’ meeting and the Vice Presidents’. And I was very impressed with the warmth between the two sides. The two Presidents, in particular, seemed to strike a very personal chord with each other. I was also very impressed with how the message of all levels of the US Government was very straightforward with Mr. President (Buhari). It was ‘we think this is a unique moment in Nigeria’s history. We think this is a unique moment in the Nig...