Gist Arena

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday said he was “persuaded” to take over the reins of power after the 1976 coup which claimed the life of the then head of state, Murtala Muhammed. Mr. Muhammed was killed on February 13,1976 in a coup spearheaded by Bukarsuka Dimka, a colonel in the Nigerian Army. Mr. Obasanjo, who was the second-in-command at the time, escaped being killed by the coup plotters. Mr. Obasanjo recollected the events when he hosted the cast and crew of the yet to be released film, titled “1976” at his Presidential Library in Abeokuta. The former president said Nigerians had thought that the coup would bring the country to an end. He said there were misconceptions about the coup, which upturned the political situation at the that time. Mr. Obasanjo said the misconception stemmed from the fact that most of those involved in the coup were Christians and killing the head of state, who was a Muslim, was seen as a bad signal for a nation. “The killing of a Muslim...

You need to see what went wrong after this man jumped inside the swimming pool. So Hilarious....Watch Video Below

Read their press statement below... Our attention has been drawn once again to another act of judicial recklessness by the Honourable Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Okon Abang of the purported suspension of the PDP National Convention holding in Port Harcourt, Rivers on Wednesday the 17 of August 2016. We wish to however state that a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt Rivers State has earlier in the day given a comprehensive Order wherein the Honourable Judge specifically ordered the PDP to proceed with the convention as scheduled without hindrance. Indeed his lordship while given the Order mandated all relevant agencies including The Police, DSS and INEC to cooperate with the Party in organizing a hitch free National Convention. You may also wish to note that the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State gave an Interlocutory Order while Justice Okon Abang, Abuja, gave an Interim Order. The Order of Port Harcourt is clearly superior an...

Actor Johnny Depp is still battling his estranged wife Amber Heard in court. And according to new reports, Amber is claiming Johhny accidentally cut his finger tip in a fit of rage. TMZ reports below.. Johnny Depp accidentally cut off his fingertip in a fit of rage ... then dipped the stump in dark blue paint and wrote on the wall in paint and blood the name "Billy Bob" -- the actor with whom Johnny accused Amber Heard of cheating -- this according to Amber and her people." The photo after the cut is a little graphic TMZ has obtained this gruesome photo of Johnny's butchered finger --  It's an exhibit in her domestic violence case against Johnny. We're told the incident went down in March of last year, just a month after Amber and Johnny married. They were in a villa in Australia when a fierce argument erupted.   According to Amber's version of events Johnny, who was drunk and high on ecstasy, smashed several bottles and windows an...

The Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party has been stopped from going ahead with its planned convention. The PDP had planned to to conduct the national convention of the party slated for Thursday, but in a new development, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday has stopped the convention. According to The Punch, Justice Okon Abang ruled during the proceedings that lasted eight hours on Monday that the interim order would subsist till the motion filed by the Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction seeking an interlocutory injunction against the convention is heard and determined. The judge fixed Tuesday for the hearing of the Sherif faction’s motion for interlocutory injunction. The judge made the order after joining Makarfi and six other members of his caretaker committee as parties to the substantive suit which was filed last month by the Sheriff and members of his faction. The judge had on July 28 heard Markafi-led faction’s applicati...

Speaking exclusively on Channels Television, former minister of education and co-convener of Big Back Our Girl, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has expressed rage over the failure of current and preceding federal government in rescuing the Chibok girls after more than two years in captivity. While reacting to Boko Haram’s new video, which featured some of the Chibok girls, the former minister said the government is in a position to have sufficient information to carry out a rescue operation, adding that every “event that proves that our girls are alive is a renewal of hope”. Ezekwesili stressed that  “there’s this sense of angst that 2 years and four months after, all we ever get to see are this undulating waves of commitment to rescuing them, which then ends as soon as the news concerning them goes off the screen. That is not acceptable.” The former World Bank vice-president also alleged that Amina Nkeki, a rescued Chibok girl, gave enough information to the f...

Joyce Oyedepo In a social media post tagged  'CRAZY' , Joyce Oyedepo, the last child of Bishop David Oyedepo, the General Overseer of Winners Chapel, has stirred up controversies and media reactions. According to  DailyPost , Joyce took to her Facebook page on Sunday, saying she tried as much as possible to be who she really is and the that post had since trailed mixed reactions on social media. Below is what she wrote:  “Those who know me know that I’m crazy. I don’t blend in. I’m the one who’s ‘yingin’ when everyone else is ‘yangin’. I’ve been called an outcast by many outsiders. But the more I tried to fit in, the more I stood out. My differences wouldn’t let me stay the same. “Every day, I’ve come to let the differences that make me, shine through. Tired of the need to stay the same, I’ve come to accept the real me. “I’m not the same. And as long as I stay rare, there’d always be a need for all of me. For there would always be r...

"The Reward of a Teacher is no longer in heaven. I can now see mine here on earth," - Those were the words of 80-year-old Mrs Odunisi who was super excited to see the Boys she taught Economics at Igbobi College, Yaba, who have grown to be men. Some of those she taught in Class 1975 are Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Mr Babatunde Fowler, Chairman Federal Inland Revenue Service and Mr Adeyinka Asekun, Chaiman Wema Bank PLC. The men all came together over the weekend to celebrate one of their own, FIRS boss Tunde Fowler, who recently turned 60. Source: Adesuwa Iyare

Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Abayomi Olonishakin‎ today responded to Boko Haram's request for their members who are in custody of the Federal government to be released in exchange of the kidnapped Chibok girls. The sect members made the demand in a video released yesterday August 14th. Speaking on the request by the sect, Colonel ‎Olonishakin after a security Council meeting in Abuja today, told newsmen that the decision to swap the girls is a political one "‎That is a political decision to be taken. The military's decisions that we are going ahead with our operations and the operations are being conducted appropriately"he said The military chief also stated that the military is still analyzing the new video from the sect.

Factional chairman of PDP, Ali Modu Sheriff was guest on Channels TV yesterday night. During his interview, Sheriff maintained that he does not have any links with Boko Haram. He has been accused of starting the terrorist group when he was governor of Borno state, the birthplace of the sect group "How can I have link with Boko Haram? Boko Haram killed of my brothers. Tell me in Nigeria which governor lost his brothers from same parents to Boko Haram. When I was a governor of Borno state within the eight years, Boko Haram had not taken one local government" he said  Sheriff who has been rumored to have presidential ambition, denied the claims. He however stated that he has the right to contest if he wants to "I have never told anybody I want to be the president of Nigeria. I don't have any intention but I have a right if I want to. I have no intention. I am qualified to be a president if I want to be but the issue is that I have never told any...

With conflicting claims by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and his allies that the anti-corruption agencies lack powers to try them for padding the 2016 budget, it has emerged that the Federal Government has already settled on how to deal with any of them found wanting. Vanguard learned from competent sources close to the matter that the Federal Government has unleashed its agents to shop for credible evidence of criminal adulteration of the budget that would make it difficult for any of the key suspects to escape prosecution. It was reliably gathered that the recent move by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to painstakingly scrutinise major contracts so far awarded by the Dogara-led House, was to establish whether public funds have been illegally funnelled back to him and his allies as alleged by sacked House Appropriation Chairman, Abdulmumuni Jibrin.  Vanguard was told that while the EFCC probes the accounts of the House, the...

Chairman of Federal Civil Service Commission, FCSC, Deaconness Joan Ayo, has discovered some irregular/unauthorized appointments in the civil service. Deaconess Ayo, who disclosed this in Abuja yesterday, said the appointments in question, uncovered by the on-going staff auditing at the FCSC, were null and void.  She explained that staff auditing was aimed at fishing out irregular/unauthorized appointees and de-listing them from the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System, IPPIS. She maintained that this action was necessary because the appointments were not backed by any vacancy from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and as such, were not budgeted for.  She further stated that the appointments were in gross violation of the Federal Character principle and also disclosed that vacancies in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation would soon be advertised.  Ayo assured ...

Two students of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Imo State University, have been confirmed dead while two others sustained injuries after they were attacked by robbers on the Kaduna-Jos Road. The deceased were identified as Joy Ihezie (400 level) and Faith Okeke (200 level). It was learnt that the victims and their colleagues were on Friday travelling to Jos, Plateau State, on a coastal bus to attend a national conference of the National Fellowship of Christian Medical Laboratory Science Students, when they were ambushed around Mararaba junction. PUNCH Metro gathered that they were about three kilometres to their destination when the incident happened. It was said that the gun-wielding robbers were operating on the highway when the bus conveying the students ran into them. The gunmen reportedly opened fire on the students when their bus attempted to flee the scene. An IMSU student, who announced the deaths on the social media, said the univers...