Gist Arena

The Federal Government has described attempts by unscrupulous individuals on social media linking the government and Dangote group with a plan to ‘flood’ the country with genetically modified rice (GMO) as extremely uncharitable. In real terms, the Federal Government in 2014 signed a $1billion Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) for investment in integrated rice project with Dangote Industries Ltd. Further to this agreement, Dangote Industries Limited this year cultivated over 8,000 hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa state, creating over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for farmers who are the major beneficiaries of the scheme. In consolidation of the rice project of the Federal Government, President Muhammadu Buhari administration is also in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other reputable companies to tap into the vast potentials in the private sector and broadening the economic base of the country. The gains of the diversification drive e...

This major road which is located in Isouchi area in Abia has been torn apart by an intensive gully erosion that has made it a death trap for commuters. Locals have called on the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the People's Democratic Party to extend his construction projects to the needy area in futility. The major road which in the past boosted commercial activities in the region is currently being abandoned due to the fears of plying it. Residents are presently living in fear over an escalation of the damage by the gully erosion which has been worsening due to lack of attention from responsible government agencies. See more photos:

Worried by his wife’s adulterous acts, Mr Azeez Adeshina, on Wednesday approached the Ikorodu Customary Court in Lagos State to annul his 22-year-old marriage. Adeshina, a 40-year-old, who resides at Ipinyewi, off Aroro Adamo Road in Ikorodu, told the court that his wife, Oluwatoyin, was an “unrepentant adulterer’’. He asked the court to dissolve the union since the woman was no longer staying with him since 2007. He said,  “I caught her red-handed committing adultery. “She incited some people to beat me almost to the point of death and the people confirmed this to me after carrying out her orders. “I cannot imagine being associated with a person that is not under my roof and still bears my name. “My estranged wife does not care about her image as a wife; she takes pleasure in living outside my home so that she can continue with her adulterous acts. “I need to move on in life and regain my sanity and that is why I want to divorce her,’’...

Chief Thomas Ekemupolo, the father of the former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, has died early this morning at Lily Clinic in Warri, Delta State after a brief illness. Tompolo’s spokesman, Paul Bebenimibo, confirmed this development claiming that his death was a combination of illness and the recent military aggression in the Gbaramatu kingdom, adding that the deceased sustained injuries from the military in recent weeks. According to him,  "He died at about past 5am at Lily Clinic in Warri. He should be over 80 years. He's been sick for a while now, a couple of months, even before the invasion. You know the aged kind of sickness, so with all the tension and all that, because he was in the village then. "He went through some stress because they had to be taking him from Kurutie to Kunukunuma, from Kunukunuma to Warri because he was not sure of his safety, whether he would be arrested, so he had to be running from one villa...

Emenike Iroegbu the editor in chief of online news platform Abia Fact News and a group on Facebook was arrested by DSS from his Akwa Ibom residence. Information reaching us is that Emenike Iroegbu has been released by the DSS . DSS have shown impartiality because they didn't find anything incriminating against Emenike and he was set free Details Later....

Some Hausa and Fulani youths clashed today at the Abattoir, Agege in Lagos. Reason behind the misunderstanding which degenerated into physical combat, is yet unknown. Some of the youths are currently nursing machete wounds. Officers of the Lagos state Rapid Response Squad have moved in to douse the tension in the area. More photos below

Four of the 24 Chibok girls who escaped from Boko Haram captivity in 2014 were among the new students accepted into the American University of Nigeria during the Convocation and Pledge ceremony on August 29th, 2016 in Yola, Adamawa State. A statement made available to Leadership, in Abuja by the Communication Unit of the University stated that since their escape, all the 24 girls have been on the University’s scholarship studying under a special preparatory programme. Four of them have now passed their West African School Certificate (WASC) and Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) exams, with one scoring over 300 marks in the JAMB exams. "The AUN Law program uniquely offers concentrations in Humanitarian, Gender and Environmental Laws" the statement reads. "Others who took part in the ceremony were university graduates pursuing various postgraduate programmes; among whom were18 winners of the 67 competitive AUN scholarships on offe...

The Council of state meeting took place at the state House Abuja today. It was presided over by President Buhari and had in attendance were former president Goodluck Jonathan, former interim president Ernest Shonekan and former military leader Abdulsalami Abubakar. Also in attendance were some state governors and former Chief Justices of the Federation. 

A 31 year old Muslim street preacher named Krissoni Henderson,, allegedly chanted pro-ISIS slogans at terrified student Noor Alneaimi, 38 calling her a prostitute and slut for wearing tight jeans and promised to follow her home and blow her up, a court in Birmingham heard on Monday. Henderson arrived court with his girlfriend who was wearing a flesh exposing dress and the court heard that Henderson made the sick threats and chants at Noor along with a group of men in robes, as a crowd of 60 gathered in central Birmingham, . She told the city’s JPs: “He said, ‘Look at your tight jeans. You’re a kafir’. “I don’t think he thought I was a Muslim. “He kept saying, ‘Satan, Satan. You shall burn in hell’.” But Henderson has denied the charges and could be seen from time to time shaking his head in court before he bowed his head to pray. Speaking outside Birmingham Magistrates’ Court: “You treat us like dogs in your country.” “Don’t judge me because ...

The presidential car of Russia's president Vladmir Putin was on Tuesday involved in a ghastly car crash on Kutuzovsky Avenue, Moscow, Russia, instantly killing Putin's favorite chauffeur of over 40 years experience. The presidential BMW was travelling on Kutuzovsky Avenue in the Russian capital when a Mercedes veered from the other side of the road, smashing into it head-on. It is not known if the car crash was an attempted attack on the World's most powerful man who was pictured on Monday at the G20 summit in China. Russian Police are currently investigating the car crash and it's not known yet if the other car driver was injured or is dead. Putin, in 2017, will be the first recipient of a new Russian-built luxury limousine- Kortezh, or Cortege which are bomb, bullet and gas proof, similar to the 'beast' driven by Barack Obama. The ghastly car crash was captured on CCTV, watch it below.

A 57 year old American man, Charles Carlson, has been found dead in his hotel room, Ellyx Ville hotel, situated in Lekki Phase one, Lagos Tuesday September 6th. ‎ The Nation reports that Carlson's body was found beside a rope at about 5:30pm. After his body was discovered, the police at the Maroko division were informed of the incident by the hotel manager, Vincent Onwuke and have evacuated his corpse. It was gathered that the hotel management became suspicious after the guest did not come down for breakfast on Tuesday neither did he respond to telephone calls to his room and mobile number. His business partner was contacted and his hotel room forced open only to discover him dead close to the door. It was not clear if the man committed suicide with the rope found beside him. Source: The Nation

President Buhari yesterday assured Nigerians that his government will soon bring the country out of the present economic recession being experienced. President Buhari gave the assurance when he spoke at the APC governorship campaign rally in Edo state yesterday September 6th. He said: “I assure you that we are going to get out of our economic problems. We are almost out of our security problem and we are going to make Nigeria greater again. We are going to be very proud of our country once again, our size, our resources will not be for nothing. We will continue to grow.”‎he saidria will be out of economic recession soon – Pres Buhari said.

Fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt is not engaged after all despite the Snapchat photo he shared that went viral where he said "She said yes." According to TMZ, Usain's agent, Ricky Simms, said that Usain isn't getting married any time soon. Adding that yes, Usain posted the photo of himself and girlfriend Kasi Bennett, but he says the caption is a hoax created by some Internet troll. Simms says Usain did not propose to Kasi.

Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria NAN, yesterday expressed doubt over the shouts of hardship many Nigerians are complaining of. According to him, this could be mere propaganda as research carried out by him shows that life is not as hard as many Nigerians say it is.‎ On his Facebook page, he wrote:  'My daughter was on the Virgin Atlantic Flight that took off from Lagos to London today. I asked her to find out whether the plane was filled up or going to London near empty judging by the noisy campaign from a section of the country about the 'hardship' in our country. My daughter sent back this one-line text, after boarding: "daddy, the flight was filled up o". ‎This makes me to wonder whether all the seeming orchestrated campaign in the media was not mere propaganda to make the Buhari regime look really bad. I was in Bauchi and Jos at the weekend, I also found that food was cheap everywhere. In our hotel, we ...

A Police man who shot dead a motorcyclist in Ondo state over an alleged N50 bribe, has been arrested. On Sunday morning Sept. 4th, a source revealed that a police officer in Ondo State shot dead a commercial motorcyclist at Omifun on the Benin-Ore Expressway in the state. There was an allegation that the bribe-seeking police officer attached to the anti-crime patrol unit of the Ondo State Police Command shot man for allegedly refusing to give him a bribe of N50,  and immediately fled the scene with his colleagues. (Read  here  ) The said Inspector has since been arrested and his service riffle recovered. The Orderly-Room trial (Departmental Court) of this arrested Inspector held on Tuesday 6th September and this is to pave way for his criminal prosecution for Murder in the law court within the next 48hrs. The Commissioner of Police, Ondo State Command has since opened a direct line of communication with the families of the victim and...

His close friend and colleague Bovi revealed the unfortunate incident via his IG page. More later...

Read the statement below... Our attention has been drawn to the arrest and detention of a 38-year-old blogger and publisher of an online news medium, Abia Facts, Mr. Iroegbu Emenike by the State Security Service (SSS) in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State at about  1:00 pm  on Tuesday, September 6, 2016. According to the wife of the blogger, Mrs. Ekaette Emenike Iroegbu, the blogger was arrested by three (3) SSS operatives who invaded their Uyo residence in a Gestapo style in a black jeep. The operatives took away the two phones of Mrs. Emenike; the bloggers own phones and laptop, etc. After ransacking their apartment, they whisked the blogger away without disclosing the reason for his arrest and their destination. Though the Director of SSS, Akwa Ibom State Command, Mr. Adesina informed me at about  9:04 pm  on Tuesday, September 6, that he was not aware of the blogger's arrest, the wife of the blogger who went to the SSS office in Uyo has confirmed ...