Gist Arena

President Muhammadu Buhari will be presenting an emergency economic stabilisation bill to the national assembly when it resumes on September 13. The bill has been greeted with immense criticism from across the country, with many experts saying the president has no need of such emergency powers. Although Laolu Akande, special assistant to the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on media and publicity, had absolved the president of seeking emergency powers, the policy draft says otherwise. History however teaches that Nigeria has been here before — at a junction when it needed an emergency calvary out of an economic quagmire. In 1982, after an oil boom, which lasted through the 1970s, Nigeria was faced with a plunge in crude oil prices, which led to exactly same economic challenges being faced today. Nigeria’s foreign reserves was drowning in lack, the naira was plunging, our giant appetite for foreign goods could not be funded by the revenue available a...

Following last weekend’s raid of the Ojodu home of a self-acclaimed prophet, Emmanuel Adeyemi, where the police rescued 28 people, including 13 children and 15 adults who were chained, THISDAY gathered on Tuesday that detectives have also discovered shallow graves in the house and in the swamp behind the house. This is just as it was gathered that despite claims by the suspect that all those chained were mad, the police were able to ascertain that one was a cancer patient, who had developed sores from being chained up. While 27 others had been taken to the Lagos State Government rehabilitation centre, one was however taken to the hospital as she was very weak and had terrible sores from the chains. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Fatai Owoseni, acting on a tip-off, deployed operatives at the Area G Command Headquarters, to the house located at Oyinbo Unity Estate, Olamidun Close, Yakoyo, Oke-Ira. Although the initial intellige...

Controversial founder of the International God's Way Church, Bishop Daniel Obinim was escorted in handcuffs and transferred to the Accra Police Headquarters after he reported himself to Tema Regional police station earlier today. The 'Angel of God' had responded to invitation following complaints made to the police after he publicly flogged two teenage members of his church for alleged fornication and attempted abortion.  The police had given him 24 hour ultimatum to honour their invitation or they will be forced to take action against him. A video of the man of God flogging the two with a belt went viral on social media recently, drawing widespread criticism but the Bishop defended the action insisting they deserved it for engaging in fornication and attempting an abortion. However, there is a twist...according to Ghana media, the controversial Preacher is also being interrogated over a GH¢11.6 million fraud case. The Criminal Investigat...

Determined not to tolerate any further breach of extant financial regulations, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has barred nine banks from all foreign exchange transactions. The banks, THISDAY exclusively gathered this afternoon, were barred for failing to remit the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) dollar funds to the federal government’s Treasury Single Account domiciled in the CBN as directed by the presidency last year. The banks, whose suspension would remain in force until they remit all the funds to the TSA are United Bank for Africa (UBA) $530m; First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) $469m; Diamond Bank Plc ($287m); Sterling Bank Plc ($269m); Sky Bank Plc ($221m); Fidelity Bank ($209m); Keystone Bank ($139); First City Monument Bank (FCMB) $125m; and Heritage Bank ($85m). The CBN sources told THISDAY that further disciplinary actions awaited the erring banks after remitting the funds in full to the government’s coffers.

A 2-year-old boy and four year-old girl were allegedly brutalized by their stepmother in NDC, Igabi local government area of Kaduna State. The children, Abdulrahman Abubakar and Maryam Abubakar are currently receiving treatment at a private hospital in Kaduna. According to Daily Trust, the stepmother identified as Hasiya broke Abdulrahman’s left hand, right leg and Maryam’s head at their father’s house. The men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are searching for the woman who fled the house after security agencies came looking for her at their residence on Monday evening, August 22. Mother of the children, Halima, who spoke to Daily Trust at the hospital on Tuesday, said she and her husband started having problem 12 days after her son was born which brought to an end, their three year old marriage. "Initially, the children were living with me after we separated, but immediately I weaned my son, the father came and took the c...

President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged that the anti-corruption crusade in the country will be deepened and institutionalized to last beyond the life of the current administration. Receiving the U.S Secretary of State, John Kerry, at in State House, Abuja, Tuesday, the president declared: “We will insist on the standards we’re establishing. We are laying down administrative and financial instructions in the public service that must be obeyed. Any breach will no longer be acceptable”. “We will retrain our staff, so that they understand the new orientation. And those who run foul of these rules will be prosecuted, no matter who is involved. But we will be fair, just and act according to the rule of law. Anyone perceived corrupt is innocent till we can prove it. We will work very hard to establish documentation for successful prosecution, and those in positions of trust will sit up,” Mr. Buhari said. He appreciated the intervention of the U.S before the 2015 p...

Aerial view of NAF operations The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has recorded another major success in the on-going counter-insurgency and counter terrorism operations against the Boko Haram Terrorist (BHT) sect in the North East.  The current phase of intensified air operations over Northern Borno paid-off on the night of 19 August 2016 when the NAF, during an air attack, killed about 300 BHTs who had gathered to hold a meeting at a location between Malam Fatori and own troops location at Kangarwa. Prior to this fateful day the NAF, on 16 August 2016, had commenced series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions to corroborate human intelligence that key BHT commanders gather at the said location to hold meeting at night. The objective of the on-going operation, as usual, is to degrade the capability of the insurgents, particularly those who have fled to the northern part of Borno.  Please find enclosed the declassified footage...

  These photos have taken over the internet since they emerged. The photos show persons or things that are perfectly innocent and in normal position but at first glance come across as being erotic. Many social media users have spoken out about how the photos have had them decieved at first sight before eventually getting to realize what the images truly show. See more photos below and see which one will have you confused or decieved.

The Rivers state Chief Judge's son Wariebi Abiri, a Law student, unfortunately  drowned  in a swimming pool at a hotel in Abuja on Friday August 19th as students gathered to celebrated the end of lectures for the year. Apparently some students who were around when the incident happened were locked up for days, one of them however blogged about it. He shared his story which he titled 'From helper to suspect in a homicide case. 96 hours in hell' which he shared  medium.com/@Ruud_bishop Read his article below.. Friday 19th of August 2016 changed my life totally. I had an experience that I never imagined possible. Students of the Nigerian Law School in Bar Part I, have just finished lectures for the year and different people felt the need to gather and celebrate this. The events that followed are better imagined than being the reality of anyone. I arrived the venue, a hotel across the Law School, at about 8pm and met a few students having drinks and foo...

River State Governor Nyesom Wike and his wife Eberechi Suzzette pictured kissing yesterday at the ongoing 56th Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt..

The expectations of 'change' as advocated by the All Progressives Congress, APC which railroaded President Muhammadu Buhari wasn't limited to the civilians alone. The Nigerian military quietly awaited the influence of the positive change on their rate of remuneration. 15 months into the administration of Buhari, the change has failed in altering the status quo causing military men to cry out to the media in pains. According to Sahara Reporters, soldiers have complained about their salaries and how the General officer commanding - GOC of their command is slashing their salary for personal use. They said this is weakening their morale in the fight against insurgency in Northeastern Nigeria, The soldiers all complained that out of the salary the are meant to be given every month, the military authorities have forced them to agree to a compulsory N10,000 feeding program. Sadly, the food they are bringing to them is in no way better than the food ...

This is Ottawa - Canada, the Nigeria Embassy here will give appointment to come for your passport renewal only to disappoint you.. What is the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs doing about this shameful treatment to Nigerian, who spent money to get to the Nigerian Embassy in Ottawa Canada only for them to get there and meet no one to attend to them. What will it take them to put up an update on their website, so that people will know what is happening Please keep sharing this till it gets to the authorities in charge

President Buhari today received former head of state, General Yakubu Gowon rtd at the state House Abuja. More photos below.

Visiting US Secretary of State, John Kerry, today praised the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, for promoting religious tolerance and understanding among Nigerians. Kerry praised the monarch while delivering a speech on Resilient Communities and Religious Tolerance in Countering Violent Extremism. According to Kerry, the Sultanate Council was building a community of tolerance for peace, progress and political stability in Nigeria. He said that the United States would continue to identify itself with the Sultanate in strengthening religious tolerance and understanding among Nigerians.

According to one Kabiru Ishaq Sa'id One of the Founder Of New Northern Avengers (NNA), he wrote:  We are the New militant group called New Northern Avengers with Our sophisticated weapons at Our battle field. You can see how far We have destroyed our lands just to fight Mr President Buhari & the federal government.  The group is so deadly that the Nigeria Army decided to ignore Us to avoid much casualties. I love our guts, We are very strong & special militants.  Those who have plans of starting new militant groups should approach Us for training. We have guts, too strong & very mean that we didn't even use masks to cover Our faces. Nigeria will survive with our efforts.  We are proudly strong enough to feed the people of this great nation in respective of religious,tribes or political sentiment. Good day Nigerians.  

Men of Nigeria Police Force, Abuja command, have arrested a gynaecologist for allegedly drugging and r*ping some of his female patients in Abuja. The alleged rapist, is a consultant gynecologist at Life Point Medical Centre, Utako. The doctor, said the police, usually drugs women before taking undue advantage of them. The police also disclosed that some of the victims of the 47-year-old suspect are married ladies. The doctor is said to have had a child with one of his victims who is married. The Police also alleged that some lawyers are trying to shield the accused from conviction . On the suspect’s operation, the Commissioner of Police in charge of FCT, Muhammad Mustafa said: “On 4th of August, acting on report of the unethical conduct of one a consultant gynecologist who was reported to have been in the habit of taking undue advantage of his female patients who come to him for treatment or consultation in his office and other l...