Gist Arena

A former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani has said that he has no regrets stopping the third term agenda of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. According to Daily Post, Nnamani also said that he will do it again, if he is given another opportunity. The former Senate President also called on the Federal Government to look into calls for the restructuring of Nigeria. Nnamani said this while speaking at a national security seminar organised by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Abuja. He said “Yes, I presided over the plenary for third term, and all that I needed was to call a spade by its name. “If I have the opportunity to do it again, I will do the same thing.” He also said “What I want to talk about is the issue of general agitations. I hope you don’t go with the comment of the former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, that if you obey Mr President as a symbol of Nigeria, you have obeyed the country. It is not necessarily correct ...

A fter several months of dithering, the Nigerian government has finally set up a commission to investigate alleged rights abuses by the military. Despite reports by local and international groups and media accusing the military of rights abuse in several operations, the government had largely left the military to investigate itself and thus clear itself of the allegations. On Friday, however, the presidency released a statement announcing the establishment of a judicial commission of enquiry. “Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has appointed a 7-man Judicial Commission, headed by Justice Biobele A. Georgewill, of the Court of Appeal, to review compliance of the Nigerian Armed Forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement, especially in local conflict and insurgency situations,” a statement by Mr. Osinbajo’s spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said. Some of the allegations that have been levelled against the military by groups such as Amnesty Internation...

A former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Friday, warned that Nigeria might be heading towards extinction if the country is not urgently restructured. He said the northern region stands to feel the pain if the nation eventually breaks apart. He made this remark in Benin City at the 20th Professor Wole Soyinka annual lecture series organized by the National Association of Seadogs on Friday. Ezeife noted that only restructuring would free Nigeria from the plot by the British government to keep the country underdeveloped. He urged Acting President Yemi Osinbajo to convoke a conference that would discuss the country. “Every honest Nigerian knows we are at the brink of extinction. Nigeria will cease to exist if we do not restructure. It is a joke for people to think we should not restructure. “Northerners will loose most from the disintegration of Nigeria. We need to go back to the agreed Nigeria. Make the six zones federating units. Allo...

N igerians on social media, particularly Facebook, have reacted to Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby’s visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Abuja house in London. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina had earlier issued a statement announcing the visit. DAILY POST, however, observed that the visit of Britain’s top cleric to Buhari generated mixed reactions from Nigerians on social media. While many Nigerians were happy that his health condition has improved, many are of the opinion that that the President has no business in London no matter his health condition. Some also called on the Archbishop to prevail on him to resign due to his ill health. Below are some of the reactions from Nigerians: Egbe Ebirien in his reaction to the visit said: “God Almighty has healed our president PMB. In the Bible, the king after Gods heart David was I’ll to the point of death and God healed him. See the reason for Psalm 41...

A   delegation of Northern youths is currently holding a peace meeting with an Igbo delegation in Kano. The meeting is believed to be about the standing threat that was issued against Igbo residents in the north in June. A coalition of Northern youths issued a threatening statement on June 6, 2017, advising Igbos living in the northern region of the country to leave before October 1, 2017. While it looked like intervention talks organised by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo calmed nerves in the region, the influential Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (ACF) released a statement on Thursday, August 3, saying the orer is still in effect. The meeting follows the quit notice giving to Igbos in the North by Arewa youths in reactions to the agitation for secession in the South East. The Igbo delegation at the meeting has representatives of Igbos in all northern states.

A rchbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Friday, paid a personal visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at Abuja House, London. The Archbishop and President Buhari are friends, who share deep respect for each other. Archbishop Welby said he was delighted to see the rapid recovery President Buhari has made from his health challenges, noting that it was a testimony to the healing powers of God, and answer to prayers of millions of people round the world. The cleric pledged to continue praying for both President Buhari and Nigeria. In his response, the Nigerian President thanked Archbishop Welby, whom he noted had always stood by him at critical times, and wished him God’s continued grace in his spiritual duty of leading the Anglican Communion worldwide. It will be recalled that when former British Prime Minister, David Cameron described Nigeria as a “fantastically corrupt” country ahead of an anti-corruption summit in London in 2016, Archbishop Welby had retorted...

I n a renewed effort to further propel the Buhari administration New Vision for the overall development of the Niger Delta, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, will now be joining the Federal Government’s Inter-Ministerial Group tasked with the implementation of the vision. Speaking earlier today in Abuja at the meeting of the Federal Government with Niger Delta leaders under the aegis of PANDEF, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, while welcoming PANDEF’s offer to fully join the inter-ministerial group, reiterated the full commitment of the Federal Government to realise a new and prosperous Niger Delta developed through forthright partnerships between Federal Government, State Governments, private sector and local communities. “We are fully committed and thankful for your contributions and feedback. We are working on this day by day. From the beginning, we took the 16-point demand very seriously and we also developed our own plan mostly based on those demands. “Pers...