Gist Arena

T he National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, stated in its latest report released yesterday, that food price pressure continued into July as all major food sub-indexes increased, with food inflation in the country rising by 20.28 percent year-on-year (YoY) in July.  According to the NBS, this represents the highest year-on-year increase in food prices since 2009. The report came on the day President Muhammadu Buhari charged the Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun,the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, to rev up efforts to quickly steer the economy out of recession, but expressed delight at the improvement the economy had made.  In the report, the NBS noted that the food index in July was up by 0.37% over 19.91% recorded in June. The report further stated that the rise in the food index was caused by an increase in prices of bread and cereals, meat, fish, oils a...

T he Academic Staff Union of Universities has withdrawn from a meeting with the federal government scheduled for Tuesday. The union refused to attend the highly anticipated meeting, aimed at resolving its two-week strike, saying there is no need for the meeting since its position had already been sent to the federal government. The meeting was confirmed in a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, late Monday. The statement said the government delegation at the meeting would include the Ministers of Education and Finance; Chairman, National Income Salaries, and Wages Commission; and the Executive Secretary, National Universities, Commission But in statement signed by ASUU president, Biodun Ogunyemi, the lecturers explained their position. “On Thursday 17th August 2017, we met with the Minister of Labour and Education where it was decided that we should consult our members and revert back to the governmen...

N ollywood actor, Obi Madubogwu is dead. He died Monday afternoon after battling with ‘acute diabetics foot ulcers’, CKN reports. Obi Madubogwu became popular for his role in the blockbuster ‘Battle of Musanga’ were he played the lead role. Some months ago, the actor expressed his heartfelt thanks to Nigerians who helped him out  financially, physically and spiritually. He also urged them not to give up on him and but to assist him complete the final stage of his treatment which entailed flying out to a US hospital.

U .S. President Donald Trump said all options to respond to North Korea were on the table after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan earlier on Tuesday. “The world has received North Korea’s latest message loud and clear,” the U.S. president said. “This regime has signaled its contempt for its neighbours, for all members of the UN, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behaviour,” Mr. Trump said in the statement released by the White House. “Threatening and destabilising actions only increase the North Korean regime’s isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. “All options are on the table,” Mr. Trump said. Earlier, North Korea accused the United States of driving the Korean peninsula towards “an extreme level of explosion” and declared that it was justified in responding with “tough counter-measures”. The combative statement came hours North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan’s northern Hokkaido island i...

A Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on Tuesday fixed September 5 to hear arguments from counsel on why he should not deliver judgment on the fundamental rights application filed by Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans. Justice Abdulaziz Anka, who had earlier fixed today for judgment, said he would not go ahead when there are pending applications before him. “The question is, can I still go ahead when there are still motions before me and the fact that the applicant refused service?” Mr. Anka asked. “I’ve read the case file, I’ve seen the processes attached inclusive of a court order.” The judge had adjourned on August 16 to deliver a judgment on the fundamental rights application filed by Mr. Onwuamadike. The first and second respondents, the Inspector General of Police and the Nigeria Police Force, did not send a legal representative throughout the hearing. But the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad...

T he Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and the federal government will again meet today, Tuesday, to negotiate ways of resolving the ongoing national strike by the lecturers, PREMIUM TIMES can report. The meeting was confirmed in a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Samuel Olowookere, late on Monday. The statement said the government delegation at the meeting would include the Ministers of Education and Finance; Chairman, National Income Salaries, and Wages Commission; and the Executive Secretary, National Universities, Commission. The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress is also expected at the meeting. The ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, is expected to lead a delegation of lecturers to the meeting scheduled for noon in Abuja The Nigerian government said it has shown great commitment to resolving the crisis rocking the education sector and still remains committed to solving the issues that have a...

T wo organs of the United Nations (UN) have denounced an ultimatum issued by members of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum for demanding that Igbo resident in all parts of northern Nigeria vacate the area by October 1, 2017. The two UN bodies also condemned death threats targeting members of Nigeria’s Igbo ethnicity. On June 6, 2017, the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum issued the ultimatum at a press conference in Kaduna, capital of Kaduna State. Despite calls by Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna for the arrest of those who issued the ultimatum, the police and other security agencies declined to act. Last week, the Arewa Youth Forum formally withdrew the ultimatum, with some of its members citing pressure from President Muhammadu Buhari for their soft-pedaling. However, in a statement released in Geneva, Switzerland on August 25, 2017, the office of the UN Human Rights described the ultimatum to the Igbo to flee the north as a matter of “grave concern.” The UN exp...