Gist Arena

T he Senate has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in the chairman of the Presidential Action Committee on Anti-Corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay who it accused of spreading falsehood and making hate speeches against the National Assembly. In a statement by its spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate stated that Sagay was fond of using every opportunity he has to make public speeches to disparage the Federal Legislature by using uncouth and unprintable words to describe the legislators and the institution they represent. He noted that Sagay had been one of the few divisive elements in the Buhari administration who believe their relevance is enhanced only when they create constant tension between the legislature and the executive while also setting members of the executives against each other. Abdullahi noted that while the legislators had ignored past statements made by the Professor of law, his recent speech at a public lecture in Lagos orga...

T wo persons have been arrested in connection with the death of Catholic Priest, Rev Fr Cyriacus Onunkwo. Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, confirmed the arrest of the suspects while speaking at the Government House in Owerri, Imo State. Onunkwo was kidnapped by gunmen, last week Friday, from his vehicle in Orlu town, Orlu Local Government Area. His body, according to the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Chris Ezike, was discovered the following day in a bush in Omuma Village, Oru East Local Government Area. “The suspects are already making reasonable confession that can help police in further investigations,” he said.

T he Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer, National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, Yemi Kale has warned that the effect of Nigeria coming out of recession will not be felt immediately by citizens. Kale, who issued the warning yesterday while speaking at a press conference in Abuja, stressed that recession is not about the price of your goods, or whether unemployment is going up or down but it’s purely dependent on the Gross Domestic Product, GDP. He also debunked reports in certain quarters that the announcement of the economy exiting recession was politically motivated. According to Kale, “There is a different stage Nigeria must go through before the masses will feel the effects of going out of recession. Out of recession is the first step which is very important then the country can talk of economic recovery which is going back to where Nigeria was before the recession. “Recession is just a technical word; we are comparing 2017 and 201...

M inister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Alhassan has alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari told the All Progressives Congress, APC, before contesting for President in 2015 that he would only seek one term in office. Speaking on Wednesday, the Minister, popularly called Mama Taraba said she intend to hold Buhari by his words that he won’t run for the presidency in 2019. According to Reuters, Alhassan, who did not give disclose much, said Buhari made the comments in 2015 to APC members. She said, “In 2014/2015 he said he was going to run for only one time to clean up the mess that the (previous) PDP government did in Nigeria. And I took him for his word that he is not contesting in 2019.” The comment came after a similar interview with BBC Hausa, where Alhassan said she would support former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in 2019 should Buhari opt to contest. Alhassan explained that her choice of Abubakar was predicated on the fact that the fo...

T he Abia State Police Command on Wednesday said three soldiers were injured in the clash between soldiers and tricycle operators at Isi-Gate Umuahia. The press release reads: On the 4th of September, 2017 at about the hours of 5pm, there occurred a clash between Soldiers attached to 14 Brigade Command Ohafia and tricycle Operators at Isi-Gate Umuahia during which three soldiers got injured and their Hilux van damaged. The Nigeria Police saddled with the responsibility of ensuring security of lives and property waded into the situation with other military deployments and the situation was brought under control. However, ten suspects involved have been arraigned in a court of competent jurisdiction where they were admitted to bail. The Abia State Commissioner of Police, CP Adeleye Oyebade therefore enjoins all and sundry to go about their lawful businesses without fear of molestation as adequate security has been put in place to avert truncation of the peace...

L eader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has said his discussion with Southeast governors in Enugu centred on the need to get his organisation’s demands to the Federal Government. He said he believed his message would reach appropriate authority on Biafran agitation. Addressing reporters in Umuahia, Abia State capital, on his return from Owerri, Imo State capital, after a meeting with Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Kanu pledged not to compromise his stance on the independence of Biafra. The IPOB leader said the independence of Biafra and its people was not negotiable, adding that anything to the contrary would amount to betraying the trust his people and others had for IPOB leadership about their future. He said: “I laid before the governors of Southeast what we want from the Federal Government. That is, the restoration of the Republic of Biafra. Nothing else; we are not going to achieve it through violence. “Nothing has changed; our...