Gist Arena

S ometimes unexpected friendships turn out to be the best ones. Rogelio Garcia and Ade Adeleye are proof of that.  “How would I with an open conscience tell the story,” Adeleye said.  Ade, an Uber driver, picked up the Houston lawyer yesterday morning. Hours later, Garcia realized his money clip and the $703 it was holding, was missing.  “I went to every office in my building here, turned it inside out and then I decided my town home maybe I forgot it,” Garcia said.  What he didn't know was a woman, who Ade picked up later, had found the wad of cash in the back seat. She told Ade. They both counted it and eventually he figured out who it belonged to.  “I remembered the hat,” Adeleye said.  He said he wanted to return the cash.  Garcia said once he realized where it may have been he called Adeleye.  “As Ade answered the phone he says I’ve been waiting for you all day. I have your $700 and your really nic...

T he vice presidential quarters of the presidential villa set aside N17 million for cutleries in the proposed 2018 budget. Aside this amount, N50 million would be spent on acquisition of foodstuff and catering materials, with an additional N18.3 million for refreshments. N2.3million would be spent on cooking gas and fuel cost. The presidential quarters budgeted N145 million for foodstuff and catering materials and another N135 million for refreshments and meals. N18 million was budgeted for cooking gas and fuel cost. N98 million was budgeted for foodstuff and catering materials with N25 million budgeted for refreshment and meals. In the 2017 budget, the state house budgeted N123 million for foodstuff and catering materials, while N97 million was for refreshment and meals. The president’s office had also budgeted N114 million for foodstuff and catering materials supply. President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2018 budget before a joint assembly of...

W atch as Africans are literally being priced like commodities and sold off as slaves in Libya today. This is the Slave Trade going on in Libya right now. Watch as Africans are literally being priced like commodities and sold off as slaves in Libya today. This is the Slave Trade going on in Libya right now. 2017 pic.twitter.com/CNvVMM3KIn — Facts About Africa (@OnlyAfricaFacts) November 29, 2017

T he federal government has declared Friday as public holiday in commemoration of the Muslim Eid-El-Maulud celebration. The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the declaration on behalf of the federal government, according to a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja. The statement was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji. It said Mr. Dambazau urged all Muslim faithful and Nigerians in general to use the occasion to pray for peace, progress and unity of the nation. He further urged all Nigerians to support the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in its efforts at building a virile nation, and wished Nigerians a happy Eid-El-Maulud celebration. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Eid-El-Maulud is celebrated every year by Muslims on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi-ul-Awwal as the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).  (NAN)

P resident Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night in Abidjan declared that all Nigerians stranded in Libya and other parts of the world will be brought home and rehabilitated. The President while speaking when he addressed Nigerians in the Diaspora, vowed to reduce the number of Nigerians heading for Europe illegally through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea by providing basic social amenities such as education, healthcare, and food security at home. In an interactive session with members of the Nigerian Community in Cote D’ Ivoire, on the margins of the 5th AU-EU Summit, President Buhari said all necessary steps will be taken to stem the tide of illegal migration by Nigerians. He, however, noted that it is very difficult to know the origin of the people who died, while attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, because of lack of documentation. “When it was announced that 26 Nigerians died recently in the Mediterranean, before they proved tha...

T he aircraft touched down at around 9.10pm. Registration and profiling is ongoing by relevant govt agencies. The Commission continues to sensitized our countrymen and women to desist from any form of irregular migration. Source:  @ ncfrmi

J apan’s prime minister said Wednesday that the latest North Korean missile launch was a “violent act” that “can never be tolerated” after the ICBM splashed down in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). “We will never yield to any provocative act. We will maximise our pressure” on Pyongyang, Shinzo Abe told reporters. The defence minister said earlier the missile was thought to have landed within Japan’s EEZ. The Pentagon said it flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. Japan had “completely tracked” the missile, Abe told reporters. “We have made a strong complaint,” he added. By launching the missile, North Korea has ignored the international community’s “united, strong will toward a peaceful solution,” the prime minister said. “The international community needs to perfectly implement sanctions, in unison.” Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera later told reporters that the missile had flown for 53 minutes “at an al...

P aul Okoye, one half of the defunct Psquare duo, has said he regrets his role in the rift that engulfed his family in recent weeks. The separation of the brothers who make up the one-time biggest music group in Africa shook fans in Nigeria and beyond. The feud between Peter, Paul and elder brother/manager, Jude, played out in the public domain and was sometimes nasty. In a chat with Beat FM, the singer better known as Rudeboy said he wasn’t himself at the time. When asked if Psquare will ever record a song together again, he said: “I don’t know.” Despite being persistently probed by the hosts of the show, Paul refused to be drawn into issues bordering on Psquare. All he said was: “My fans, take heart. As e dey break my heart, na so e dey break una heart.” Addressing his role in the social media drama, he said: “I think I was very stupid, in that aspect. Something got into me. I couldn’t stand him. But what I did, I regretted it. Please forgive me for...