Gist Arena

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Charles Soludo and the former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi were separately sighted at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday. Soludo, who wore a cream- colored kaftan, signed the visitors’ book and went to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President, ‎Alhaji Abba Kyari around 5:30pm. Although it could not be confirmed if Soludo met with President Muhammadu Buhari, but his visit came at a time the President is reportedly concluding work on the list of ministerial nominees he would be sending to the National Assembly this month.

Fuji star, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma has reacted to the suspension of a Redeemed Church Pastor, Toyin Ogundipe who was said to have paid him to perform at a crusade slated to hold in one of the parishes in Lagos Island. The Fuji star declared that, although, the church’s management paid for the show, it is never done to expect him to pay back the “artiste fee” saying, “the fault is not ours, we were ready to perform for them until we learnt of the cancelation of the crusade”. City People reports that,the Pastor in charge of Province 20 of the Redeemed Church had invited Pasuma to perform at the Church’s forthcoming crusade titled, “Lagos Island Family Areas Forum” between Friday, October 23rd- Sunday 25th, 2015. Pasuma’s picture appeared on the handbill advert and posters alongside gospel singer, Tope Alabi and a former band leader of the late Fela Anikulapo’s Egypt 80 band, Kereke Jike. The decision to stop the programme was because the church headquarters felt the Pa...

The federal government of Nigeria has declared Thursday, 24th and Friday, 25th of September, 2015 as Public Holidays to mark the celebration of this year's Id-El-Kabir. The federal government made the announcement in a statement by the Director of Press, Ministry of Interior, Yusuf Isiaka Alhaji on behalf of the Ministry's Permanent Secretary Abubakar Magaji on Monday. Magaji enjoined all Muslim faithfuls and Nigerians from all walks of life to extend the religious benefits of the Id-El-Kabir festival, which includes love, peace, empathy and tolerance to one another for the overall development of the nation. The Permanent Secretary also admonished all Nigerians to use the festive occasion to pray for peace, progress and unity across the nation. While assuring Nigerians that the present administration is determined to build a peaceful, united and virile nation, Magaji solicited the supports of all in ensuring that the government delivers on its promis...

Attempts to get the reaction of Senator Bukola Saraki’s political ally, Senator Dino Melaye, to the warrant of arrest issued by the Code of Conduct Tribunal against the Senate President yesterday met a brick wall. Melaye, known widely as one of Saraki’s most vocal supporters, declined comment when our correspondent contacted him yesterday, raising suspicion that the proverbial hand of the clock may have turned a full circle at the upper chamber of the National Assembly. Melaye, the spokesman of Senator Saraki’s campaign for the Senate President position, had maintained his vocal posture while Saraki defied the All Progressives Congress’ directive on the filling of Senate positions. He is currently facing his own legal challenges in the Kabba/Lokoja Senatorial constituency where Senator Smart Adeyemi is seeking a reversal of Melaye’s victory in the 2015 senatorial elections. Melaye, who is currently the Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Publicity...

In an effort to boost the morale of troops involved in the anti-insurgency fight, the Nigerian Army has approved the promotion of 5,000 soldiers deployed to battle against Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East. The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, who made this disclosure, also revealed that 3,032 soldiers who were recalled from dismissal had been reinstated into the ongoing operation against the insurgents in the North-East. The COAS made this known during the opening ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff Third Quarter Conference in Abuja on Monday.

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode today forwarded a list of 23 would-be commissioners and 14 special advisers to the House of Assembly for screening. Amongst the names forwarded are six former cabinet members from the Babatunde Raji Fashola administration including former commissioner for Agriculture, Gbolahan Lawal, former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, former Special Adviser, Central Business District, Folarin Coker, former Special Adviser Commerce and Industry, Seye Oladejo, former Special Adviser Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ganiyu Johnson and former Special Adviser Rural Development, Babatunde Hunpe. Ambode also named a relatively young cabinet with the likes of Mrs. Yetunde Onabolu, Fela Bank-Olemoh, Akinyemi Ashade, a partner in KPMG, former Managing Director, National Mirror, Steve Ayorinde, Alhaja Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, a pharmacist, Kehinde Joseph and Prof. Ademola Abass, a professor of Law, whose ages range between 39 and 47 yea...

Grace Jones of Broadway, Worcestershire who celebrated her 109th birthday revealed in an interview with BBC that the secret to her longevity is whiskey. "I don't drink but I have a little drop of whiskey every night," she said. She is the oldest person in the county and has received her sixth card from the Queen. Despite her old age, Jones said apart from hearing loss, she feels about the same as she did in her sixties.

Statement from chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Read below...  The abduction of Chief Olu Falae is not only unacceptable but it also an exceptionally dangerous development. I say this because he is not only an elder-statesman of our country but he is also one of the most revered leaders of Afenifere and the south-west. We cannot sit by idly and watch our leaders and elders being endangered, shamed and humiliated in this way.   It is the governments job to keep us all safe and secure and they are failing in that duty. I call on the President and our security agencies to effect the expeditious and immediate release of Chief Olu Falae. They must rescue him from these vagabonds and vandals as soon as possible before things get out of hand. Let it be clearly understood that if anything happens to him and if he doesn't come home hale and hearty we will hold the Federal Government responsible and there will be consequences. Those that are in power would do well to take what I...

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Olu Falae, was abducted today which is his 77th birthday by gunmen numbering over 20 who invaded his farm in Ilado village, Akure north area of Ondo state. And according to  Vanguard , he was abducted by Fulani Herdsmen. Report below.. "Reports from the family said that the fulani herdsmen have been having issues with the workers in the farm over the grazing and the destruction of the farmland by their cows. The herdsmen reportedly came back on Monday in large number and attacked the farm before abducting the politician. Vanguard was told that on arrival the herdsmen shot indiscriminately into the air, a situation which made the workers to flee to different directions. They reportedly beat up the National chairman of the Social Democratic Party SDP and dragged him on the floor when he refused to go with them. Police source however said that the Fulani herdsmen may have been used by other interested party wh...

(CNN)Donald Trump said Monday that GOP rival Carly Fiorina's surge will end when voters take a closer look at her business record, one that he says shows "tremendous failure." Trump said Fiorina's contentious tenure as Hewlett-Packard's CEO and as a top executive at Lucent Technologies make her unelectable. Fiorina has been blamed by some for leading HP's troubled merger with Compaq and the subsequent dip in the company's stock price and the thousands of layoffs that followed, though Fiorina defenders insist her tenure at the head of that company is now increasingly being viewed as a success. "When people see her record, I don't see how she could possibly win," Trump said Monday on NBC's "Today Show." Fiorina's campaign declined to CNN to comment on the remarks. Let the sparks fly: Carly Fiorina takes on Donald Trump Trump's comments came after a new CNN/ORC poll released Sunday showed Fiori...

20 Nigerian pilgrims have so far died in Saudi Arabia since the beginning of the hajj. Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Abdullahi Mukhtar, who made this known at a pre-Arafat meeting at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia today, said 14 pilgrims died due to cardiac arrest and other ailments, while six lost their lives at the September 11 crane crash.

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s Minister of Finance & Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Monday, expressed joy over her new job to join the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates. The former finance minister, had also announced that she will also be joining US investment bank, Lazard’s sovereign advice division. Okonjo-Iweala who tweeted via her Twitter handle, @NOIweala said: “I’m excited to join GAVI to immunize 300 million more children in the next five years and save 5 million to 6 million more lives.” The new portfolios, however, follow her second stint as Nigeria’s finance minister, which ended in May after the Goodluck Jonathan-led government was voted out of office. Okonjo-Iweala has spent the past three decades working on fiscal management and governance systems in Africa through 25 years at the World Bank, most recently as a managing director, and twice as finance minister in what ...

Ex-Secretary to Government of the Federation and Afenifere chieftain, Chief Olu Falae has been kidnapped. Sketchy reports on Monday, said Falae was kidnapped from his residence on Oba-Ile Road, Akure, the Ondo state capital. The 77-year-old politician was secretary to the military government of Ibrahim Babangida from January 1986 to December 1990 and was briefly the Finance Minister in 1990. He ran for Nigeria’s president in 1999 on the joint platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) and the All People’s Party (APP) against Olusegun Obasanjo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, has adopted a new system of booking traffic offenders rather than impounding their vehicles. The new system which kicked off last Friday Sept. 18th, will have LASTMA issuing tickets to defaulters and allowing them to go with their vehicles but the defaulters will be asked to pay a penalty for the offense within a stipulated time which will be stated on the ticket issued.  Failure to pay up will amount to arrest of such defaulter at their homes.

51 people have so far been confirmed dead in the multiple bomb blast that rocked the Gomari and Ajilari areas of Maiduguri yesterday night.  NEMA officials say the death toll may increase as many of the victims are in very critical conditions. Suspected Boko Hamarm members planted one of the bombs inside a mosque while people were praying. 

Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Yakubu Umar, has issued a fresh arrest warrant on Nigerian Senate President, Bukola Saraki, after he failed to show up at the tribunal this morning.  Are they not aware that the Court of Appeal granted a stay of execution order on their arrest warrant?

In a recent interview with  Punch , former Super Eagles defender turned pastor, Taribo West said he contacted some traditionalists aka Babalawos to make him charms which he used when he played football "Of course yes (I was involved). I don’t know why people decline to talk about their involvement with charms. Football has to do with a lot of powers. When there are big events, you look at the stadium, you see people, fans invoking all kinds of things; magicians are there, voodooists are there.  In my playing days, when I was ignorant, I used to get some mallams and  babalawos  (traditional doctors) to make charms for us, which we took to (national) camp. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t. In some clubs, before every game, the president or leader of the club will give you a lucky charm to play with. They will tell you to put it in your boots or socks and play. It’s their superstitious belief; that it can help them win matches.   There are some...

A Nigerian woman, Jennifer Akudihor who is on holiday in the US has been arrested by Kansas city police department for allegedly shop lifting clothing items and accessories worth nearly $2,000 at Oak Park Mall in Kansas last week Tuesday. According to KMBC.com, Police reports states that Jennifer who was with two toddlers and an infant when she was arrested, hid 66 items in shopping bags and inside the stroller she was pushing through Macy's at Oak Park Mall. She has been charged with felony theft and ordered to hand over her passport. Jennifer was in court last Wednesday and her bail was set at $2,500. She was apologetic during her first court appearance. “The officer in the report said that she was very apologetic and remorseful, and that does go a long way, and he put that in the report, so I think it does help in this situation. Everybody has a story. There’s always a lot of reasons why people do this, and it’s not for us to decide. It’s up to the courts and ...

THE putrid smell that emanated from the chunks of fatty decomposing pieces of flesh said to be part of a human body recovered from suspected ritualists filled the entire space in front of the Oyo State Police Command headquarters, Eleiyele, Ibadan on September 15, 2015. Journalists, policemen and visitors who were around the place covered their noses with kerchiefs. Four suspects—Oluwatoyin Odetunde, Adewole Elijah, Adeyanju Adeniyi, and Odetunde Jacob – arrested in connection with the human flesh were all calm looking, as if waiting for the fate that would befall them after their arrest. And a member of the syndicate, Odetunde, confessed that he got the human flesh from Elijah and one ‘doctor’, one Olusegun Babarinde, who was discovered to be a retired mortuary attendant. Briefing journalists on the arrest of the suspects, the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Leye Oyebade, said that they were arrested after the raiding of a black spot at Owode area of Oyo...

Baring last minute change, President Muhammadu Buhari may likely unveil his long-awaited cabinet this week, DAILY POST has learnt. The President has been facing public criticisms, especially from the opposition over his refusal to name his ministers three months after assuming office. The president has been calling on Nigerians to bear with him till the end of this month to enable him pick credible persons who will work with him. However, latest report available to DAILY POST indicates that the Department of State Services is done with the screening and the ministerial nominees might likely emerge this week. A top presidency source hinted that the delay in the release of the ministers might not be unconnected with the fact that some persons were found wanting during the exercise. “President Buhari is a just man who wants to get his things right. He was careful enough not to appoint anyone who might disgrace or dent his hard-earned name and reputation. The ...

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja this morning granted a stay of execution order on the arrest warrant issued by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Senate President Buhari. Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar had on Friday September 18th  issued a Bench  warrant  for the  arrest  of Bukola Saraki who is standing trial on a 13 count charge bothering on false declaration of assets. 

Samantha Kudeweh (left) was on Sunday, September 20 attacked by one of Hamilton Zoo's Sumatran tigers in New Zealand. According to local reports, the tiger attacked the 43-year-old mother of two while the animal's enclosure was being cleaned. The Zoo will be closed until Thursday Sept. 24th. A staff confirmed that the tiger will not be put down following the tragedy. Lance Vervoort, Hamilton City Council’s General Manager Community, says although Samantha’s death is a tragedy for the wider zoo family and international wildlife conservation community, senior zoo staff have ruled out euthanizing Oz. "We’re aware there is a lot of interest and speculation around how we manage Oz now, and I want to assure the public and zoo supporters that he will not be put down," Mr Vervoort says. " Although there is an inherent risk for zoo professionals who manage big cats like Oz, there is no wider ongoing risk. There is no reason for us to put Oz down....

This is a press statement from online publishers, The Trent The attention of our Editorial Board has been drawn to a publication by the Nigerian Presidency on its website (www.statehouse.gov.ng) threatening our President and Executive Editor, Ms. Aziza Uko. The publication titled, President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and El Rufai Share Mutual Respect (September 17, 2015) and authored by Mr. Laolu Akande is the Presidency’s official response to a story published by our newspaper, The Trent, titled, Osinbajo Insulted By El Rufai, Walks Out On President Buhari (September 16, 2015). Our report, which exposes to the Nigerian people the hidden power dynamics in Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidency certainly did not win us friends in this secretive government. We are, however, disappointed that Mr. Laolu Akande, a spokesman of Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo would resort to putting out an unprofessional character assassination piece in defense of his bosses in As...

There is heavy security deployment at the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday morning. Entrances to the CCT premises are cordoned off, with few individuals, including staff, journalists and politicians allowed entry after thorough scrutiny. Men of the regular police, riot police and others in the Force bomb disposal unit are providing security at the tribunal. There is improved security presence at the tribunal on Monday compared to what was observed last Friday. Several supporters of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki , are presently at the tribunal, awaiting his arrival.

Pictured above is the empty witness box at the Code of Conduct Tribunal where Senate President Bukola Saraki is expected to  mount as his trial on alleged falsification of assets continues this morning but he’s unlikely to be there.  Photo credit: Sahara Reporters

A Blog reader shares her story below... My reason for sending this mail is this, this morning, an army officer in uniform who intentional removed his name tag, was dragging the road with the BRT bus I boarded, this guy has been earlier seen harassing a Keke marwa rider just because he's an army officer, not long, he drove speedily to side of the BRT I was in trying to intimidate the bus driver, but the passengers all pleaded with the bus driver to allow the car be before we realized it was the same army guy.   He alighted from his car and started harassing the driver, all passenger stood their ground that the BRT driver should not fret and not open the bus door, he became even more infuriated when he realizes that the BRT driver has the full support of his passengers! He started shouting 'won ni ko ma shi ileku abi' 'wa gba le ni' passenger were replying him 'nothing you can do', you can't keep intimidating us because we are civilians...

Former Lagos state governor Babatunde Fashola and his successor, Akinwunmi Ambode are trending on twitter following the chaotic traffic in Lagos today which is caused by parked trailers on some bridges and major roads since Saturday night. Some Lagosians are blaming both men for the traffic. See their tweets below..