Gist Arena

Emefiele Speaks : “It is so easy to criticize from outside and begin to say stories that are not true. CBN doors are opened to its former Governors that have useful advice that will benefit the economy. “CBN has been unjustly castigated, we cannot continue to depend on other countries for things that can be produced in Nigeria and expect our economy to grow. “When we stop importing toothpicks, stop eating imported rice cultivated with chemical, stop eating chicken imported and preserved with formaldehyde, then our economy will begin to grow. We use our hands to destroy our country and yet shift the blames to others. CBN spends close to $2 billion (Two billion dollars) to remit school fees to foreign institutions yearly. Why should such huge money not be used to develop institutions in the country to a world standard? Some of the best doctors outside there in foreign nations are Nigerians who were trained in Nigeria but had to go overseas to practice be...

Read Freeze's reply above and what comedian Alibaba wrote below.. Just days ago, I wrote about how people use their hopes and aspirations to judge other people's realities. @floydmayweather is not as rich as @zuck, and they definitely do not have the same lifestyles. They both do not have the same path to success.  They as sure as day, do not also have the same pleasures. The problem we have, that then begins to define our vision of everything around us, is that we expect our situation, or the situation of other people, to orchestrate ours. We even then use it as a yardstick to judge others. We all have different ways of expressing our successes. You can't decide mine. That said, let me talk of something that also drives home this point. 2 artistes get paid a cumulative N15m each for different shows. One goes shopping. Shoes. Wristwatches. Necklaces. Jeans. Champagne. Car. And is turning up at different events #LOUD. The kind of society we have recogniz...

Two breakaway factions of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) say they will work together to “surrender” the Biafran flag to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The original plan was to  burn the Biafran flag on October 1, 2016 , but the groups — Re-branded Indigenous People of Biafra (TRIPOB) and Renegade Indigenous People of Biafra (RENIPOB) — have jettisoned that, and will instead surrender “the defunct Republic of Biafra flag on the symbolic date of January 15, 2017″ to the Nigerian government at the Eagle Square Abuja. The chosen date, January 15, 1970, was the day the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, ended. In a statement they released on Friday, TROPOB and RENIPOB nominated Charles Okah, who is in Kuje prison and is standing trial on the allegation of masterminding the 2010 Independence Day bombing, as their “leader” to handle the surrender. THE FULL STATEMENT 1. The Re-branded ...

Binuyo Basira Iyabo The NDLEA commander at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Hamisu Lawan, has disclosed that a 55-year-old Nigerian pilgrim, Basira Binuyo, who was heading to Medina, Saudi Arabia, to perform the annual pilgrimage, was tested positive to narcotic ingestion at the Abuja Airport. In an official statement on Friday, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, said the woman was arrested during the outward screening of passengers on an Emirate flight to Medina through Dubai. “She has so far excreted 76 pellets of drugs that tested positive for cocaine. Meanwhile, she is still under observation until the drugs are completely expelled,”  the statement read. The wraps of cocaine Mrs. Binuyo, a trader at Dosumu market Lagos, who hails from Irepodun LGA of Kwara State and married with three children, was quoted as saying she needed money to expand her business. “I wanted to expand my cosmetic business but I ha...

Cool FM OAP, Daddy Freeze Controversial Cool FM OAP, Daddy Freeze has finally opened up on the fued between him and Basketmouth which saw both throwing shades and subs at each other. In fact, the online fight led to insinuations which went viral that the OAP got sacked by his employers at Cool FM. Addressing the issue in an interview with Pulse, Freeze said he has known Basketmouth for a long time. But, many people who have followed the two are still lost as to how their once mutual relationship nose-dived into a full-scale online war. The two were known to be very close friends before the bad blood sprouted. "You see there's a point in the conversation that I cannot have for legal reasons, but there was an alliance that was broken and Basketmouth took the other side or it appeared to me that he did, and he never gave me a call. This is my guy, he never gave me a call to say why did you do this or why did you not do this and I felt slightly slighte...

Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, has described as a huge joke the call by PDP for President Buhari to resign following the economic recession. Speaking at a NAN forum today, Lai said “It is very painful in a situation where the armed robber is now the one sympathizing with the victim. I read in the dailies that the PDP said that the President must resign because of the economy. While we are not going to indulge in blame game, I think we should also be honest enough to admit that we will not have been where we are today if they had done what they ought to do. For the party to ask the President to resign is just a big joke".  Lai disclosed that the Federal government has so far recovered N78 billion stolen funds.  “What we have recovered and if my record is right is about N78 billion, and 3 million dollars. We have been able to block various accounts in which about 9 billion dollar is found but those are not money available to us because we...

Africa's most decorated coach at the Olympics, Samson Siasia has revealed that he has ended the feud between himself and sports minister Barrister Solomon Dalung after the minister apologized to him. According to Siasia, he was just angry and unhappy that the team and himself weren't appreciated by the government despite they were the only team to win a medal at Rio Olympics 2016. Siasia’s  said in an interview with BBC World sports reporter Osasu Obayiuwana “I was very surprised that he (Dalung) accused me of being a human trafficker. He has apologised to me for making that statement. The minister has made some mistakes and needs to be guided. But I have decided to let what he said go…”  “If I had known that I will be in this situation (being owed five months), I would never have taken up this job. I have been relying on friends, in order to survive. There is no excuse for my being owed five months wage. My son asks me, “Dad, how can you be working...

Members of the Civil Society Organization in Rivers state, today staged a peaceful protest to the state police command over the recent assassination of an APC lawyer and political activist, Ken Atsuwete which occurred last Sunday August 28th. Among the protesters were NDDC Acting Managing Director Ibim Semenitari. More photos below

While receiving Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, at his office today, President Buhari commended him for his simplicity and informed him that in our culture, we are not used to seeing successful people appear the way he does.  "I am impressed by your simplicity in sharing your knowledge and wealth with those with less income. In our culture, we are not used to seeing successful people appear like you. We are not used to seeing successful people jogging and sweating on the streets. We are more used to seeing successful people in air-conditioned places. We are happy you are well-off and simple enough to always share’’ he said. In his remarks, Zuckerberg said he was impressed by the interest, energy and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by young Nigerians in all the ICT camps that he had visited. "I was highly impressed by the talent of the youths in the Co-creation Hub in Yaba. I was blown away by their talent and the level of energy that I ...

President Muhammadu Buhari met with Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg earlier today at the State House, Abuja.

Rapper DMX, who recently grabbed headlines when he welcomed his 15th child, took the Bad Boy family to church with a powerful prayer on Thursday night. Right before Diddy and the rest of the Bad Boy family hit the stage for Diddy’s Bad Boy re-union tour in Chicago, DMX led everyone in a prayer session, demonstrating the same passion and energy he famously brought to his rhymes and his performances during the good old days. Watch the video after the cut.

Residents crying out over the tragic incident According to a shocking report making rounds online, a young man has allegedly burnt his mother-in-law to death while his brother-in-law who was severely burnt, is fighting for his life in the hospital after the man set fire on their building at Isampou in Ekeremor LGA in Bayelsa state. It was gathered that the man's wife left him some days ago in their residence at Bomadi area of the LGA, saying that she does not want to marry him anymore, and moved in to her mother's house at Isampou, Bayelsa. The woman burnt to death Eyewitnesses disclosed that the man who thought that his run-away wife was sleeping in her mother's room, allegedly poured fuel on the room of the building and lit it with fire which burnt the residents. The shocking incident happened on Sunday, August 28.

Paralympic tennis player Jordanne Whiley and swimmer Lewis Edwards are among athletes competing at Rio 2016 paralympic games and despite their handicapped situation have posed nude ahead of the games next week to smash and kick away all stereotypes relating to handicapped or disabled people/athletes. Tennis ace Jordanne Whiley, 24, of Halesowen, West Mids said to Sport magazine: “I wanted to show people you can do beautiful shoots without being a tall model. “That’s quite obvious. I’m short, I’m disabled and I’m nowhere near perfection. But I’m very comfortable in my skin. “I’m healthy and I think that’s what women should strive for – athletes are great role models. Role models should be real people, too. I’m flawed, I’m a normal person. Powerlifter Ali Jawad, 27, representing Team GB said to the magazine: “The emphasis in my event is on bench press. It’s an all-body movement, so you need all-around strength. Not having legs means it’s twice as hard ...

An Indian man who resides in Nigeria identified as Sharad Jadhav ‏(@Sharad8097 on Twitter), has taken to social media to share photos from his arrival at the Enugu international airport on Wednesday night. From the photos shared, there was ankle deep water on the runway and passengers were also stranded in the plane as there was no bus to convey them to the arrival lounge.  See more photos below;

Lionel Messi helped 10-man Argentina defeat Uruguay 1-0 in 2018 World Cup qualifying victory  on Thursday  night. The star striker scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute on his return to the national team.The match also witnessed a 'crazy' moment when a fan breached security to meet his idol- Messi. The pitch invader fell to his knees and even kissed the Barcelona star's feet. He was then escorted away by the police. watch the video below.

Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun has dissociated herself from a fake Twitter handle that tweeted 'Recession is just a word and would soon be a thing of the past' a few days ago. The finance minister was blasted for the tweet, which she has now denied tweeting. Adeosun made the denial in a statement released by her Special Assistant on Media, Festus Akanbi. The statement reads; “The attention of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has been drawn to a fake Twitter handle in her name saying that ‘recession is just a word. For the avoidance of doubt, the Honourable Minister does not own a Twitter account. The Twitter handle currently trending, and any other twitter handle presently in existence is not, and cannot be that of the Honourable Minister, as a twitter account has not yet been set up for her. It is obviously fake and does not represent the views and opinions of the Honourable Minister.‎ Also at no time did the Honourabl...

GP Cyprian Okoro, 55, a Nigerian medical doctor in Cameron Place, Streatham, south-west London has been found guilty by a court of possessing lots of extreme pornography such as an indecent video of a two-year-old boy, “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise obscene character” featuring women having sex with dogs, a man having sex with a snake and a woman having sex with a horse all received through his whatsapp and stored in a secret password protected 'vault' in his phone. Prosecutors saw the images and videos when they seized his phone. Cyprian Okoro, denied all five charges leveled against him but it didn't take the court more than a day to find him guilty on all but two charges of possessing extreme pornography relating to bestiality with dogs. The jury was told that it was the second time Dr Okoro had been convicted in what the judge described as a “quite unusual case”. Judge Richard Hone QC granted Okoro bail and adjourned sen...

Customs officers stationed at the Badagry-Seme border have arrested a suspected smuggler, Moses Degbogbahunn pictured above, while he was trying to smuggle in bags of imported rice which he carried in an ambulance and packaged as corpses. According to the mobile patrol team leader, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Ozah M., the suspected smuggler was arrested after officers at the border noticed the frequency with which he drove his ambulance, a Volvo with number plates DV 74 EKY, pass the border with dead bodies. A stop and search exercise showed the bags of rice that were packaged as a corpses.

Former APC, governorship aspirant in Benue state, Nath Apir has said that Nigerians are currently regretting that they voted President Buhari into office. According to Vanguard, Apir said this in a media chat with newsmen in Makurdi, Benue state yesterday September 1st. "During the last administration. Our economy was performing above average. This government came in and because every government comes in to fix the problems of the previous government. It took Presidemt Buhari six months to appoint Ministers in a country where, whether rightly or wrongly was rated by the World Bank and the IMF as Africa’s largest and number one economy. We did not get that rating through bribe. On coming to government it behoved this administration to inflate the tyres that were low on air pressure, grease those bearings that needed to be oiled so that we don’t grind to a halt just like we are in now. Our country is in shambles, the people can hardly feed, the Naira has cras...

Read his piece below... Mark Zuckerberg’s two-day visit to Nigeria has done a lot for the country; it is a pity no government official or agency has tried to tap into the gains of that visit. He arrived at a time there was much talk about economic recession, concerns about companies folding up or retrenching staff, or international investors leaving the country in droves, out of frustration with the uncertainties in the system.  Z uckerberg’s arrival raised our hopes: co-founder of Facebook and the 5 th  richest man in the world, sneaked into Nigeria to meet with developers and entrepreneurs and to discuss investments in Nigeria’s growing start-up ecosystem. And for two days, he went round the city of Lagos, visiting start-ups and interacting with young entrepreneurs. The way Nigeria is often painted abroad, and in those travel advisories that foreign ministries issue, you would think Nigeria is such an unsafe place where kidnappers are permanently on the prowl. Zuckerb...