Gist Arena

B abatunde Fashola in an interview with the Pressmen. He speaks about the Nigerians that have found Employment in the National Housing Programme in Gwagwalada, Abuja. #FMPWH Allow to load complete to watch video HM Babatunde Fashola in an interview with the Pressmen. He speaks about the Nigerians that have found Employment in the National Housing Programme in Gwagwalada, Abuja. #FMPWH pic.twitter.com/B9QcQYdCq1 — Federal Ministry of PWH (@FMPWH) March 22, 2018

T he Foreign Office has appointed its first black female career diplomat as a high commissioner as it steps up efforts to change the overwhelmingly white, male face of the diplomatic service. NneNne Iwuji-Eme, who has spent 16 years in the Foreign Office, will take up her role as British high commissioner to Mozambique in July, taking over from Joanna Kuenssberg. Iwuji-Eme said it was “an honour and a privilege” to be appointed to the role and that she hoped she would inspire others to pursue their ambitions. “I hope my appointment as the first British black female career diplomat to this position will inspire young talent, regardless of race or background, to pursue their ambitions in the Foreign Office,” she said. “I look forward to forging even stronger connections between Britain and Mozambique – two close members of the Commonwealth family.” The foreign secretary, Boris Johnson , said Iwuji-Eme has “vision, experience and energy” for the appointment.

W elcome to a new Legislative Day in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria! Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, led the Principal Officers into the chambers; took the official prayers; and began the day’s proceedings at 11:01am. Senator Oluremi Tinubu moved for the approval of votes and proceedings of Wednesday, 21st March, 2018. Senator Fatimat Raji Rasaki seconded. ANNOUNCEMENT Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki announced that Sub-Committee on Appropriations are to submit their Reports on the 2018 Budget at the following times: Thursday 22nd March, 2018 12noon to 6pm Friday, 23rd March, 2018 10am to 12noon Monday, 26th March, 2018 12noon to 6pm Venue: Meeting Rm. 224 Senate Building Please endeavor to conclude your reports and submit them within the stipulated dates and times. POINT OF ORDER Senate Leader cited Order 43, spoke on the release of the abducted Dapchi girls. Thanked Senate President, Dr. Abuba

T he present economic templates being used by the Muhammadu Buhari government do not have the ability to address the unique needs of Nigerians at present, American business magnate, Bill Gates, has said. The philanthropist and founder of Microsoft corporation however said Nigeria has the ability to approach ‘upper middle-income status’ like Brazil, China and Mexico, but added that achieving this status depends on ”the choice Nigerian leaders make”. Mr. Gates, at the special and expanded National Economic Council, held in Abuja on Thursday tasked Nigerian leaders to sincerely invest in not just infrastructural development but also human investment. The theme of the meeting was “Role of human capital investment in supporting pro-poor and economic growth agenda”. The investor said though Nigeria is rapidly approaching upper- middle income status, the country has ”unmatched economic potential and what becomes of that potential depends on the choice Nigerian leaders mak

J ustice A. O. Musa of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Kubwa, on Thursday, March 22, 2018 affirmed the right of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to declare anybody wanted. The court made the declaration while delivering a judgment in a case $300million oil fraud involving Benedict Peters, Chairman and Managing Director of AITEO Energy Resources Limited. Peters and his company are being investigated by the EFCC in connection with oils scams involving a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Madueke; Benard Otti; Northern Belt Oil and Gas Company Limited and other persons of interest in respect of conspiracy, stealing, money laundering to the tune of over $300million. In the course of the investigation, the EFCC in a letter dated May 9, 2016, invited Peters for an interview, on May 12, 2016. On that same day, (May 9, 2016) Peters responded through his counsel Wole Olanipekun, SAN, acknowledging the receipt of the letter, and requested t

I n the last few years, a split happened in Shekau’s ISWA, this was because the more ‘civilized’ members thought his scorched earth policy of indiscriminately killing everyone by any means necessary, including the use of child bombers was barbaric There was a split and Shekau lost control of the entire organization, he still has men under his command , but another faction under Al-Barnawi (II) emerged. Al-Barnawi's group keeps waging jihad but in a more 'civilized' way (in their opinion, not mine) The abduction of the Dapchi Girls was not in line with this pivot to 'civilized' insurgency, seeing as most of the girls were already Muslims, not Kafir (nonbelievers) and thus, from the point of view of the abductors, not eligible to become captives and slaves The logistics nightmare of keeping 100 pre-teen and teenage girls in what's at best military camps, girls that they could not touch sexually based on their interpretation of Islamic injunction

T he senate has confirmed five nominees of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Those confirmed are Aisha Ahmad and Edward Lametek as deputy governors and Adeola Adenikinju, Aliyu Sanusi and Robert Asogwa. The nominees were confirmed after Rafiu Ibrahim, chairman senate committee on banking, insurance and financial institutions, presented a report at the red chamber on Thursday. Asheikh Maidudgu was the only nominee rejected by the lawmakers. The upper legislative chamber had initially refused to confirm the nominees, stalling the monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting of the apex bank in January and March. The lawmakers had said the only condition to confirm nominees of President Muhammadu Buhari is for the federal government to sack Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in line with their recommendation. Source: TheCable

I f Britain hadn’t voted to leave the EU, and Trump hadn’t won the US election, it’s unlikely anyone outside Nigeria would have given a second thought to what went on during its presidential election campaign three years ago. But the 20/20 vision of hindsight casts a very different light on the events of early 2015, and a campaign that now seems to eerily prefigure what happened in the US a year later. Many of the same characters, some of the same tactics. At the heart of it all – data analytics company, SCL – the parent company of Cambridge Analytica . It had been hired by a rich Nigerian who supported the incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan. “It was the kind of campaign that was our bread and butter,” says one ex-employee. “We’re employed by a billionaire who’s panicking at the idea of a change of government and who wants to spend big to make sure that doesn’t happen.” This was a standard variation on what SCL had done around the world for 30 years – this

T he Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Wednesday quashed the sentence of two years imprisonment with option of N750,000 fine imposed by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on a former official of the Police Pension Office, Yakubu Yusuf, for stealing N24bn pension funds. A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal headed by Justice Abdu Aboki, in a unanimous judgment, described the High Court’s sentence as unreasonable and substituted it with a total of six years’ imprisonment with an addition of N22.9bn fine. Justice Emmanuel Agim, who delivered the lead judgment of the court, ruled that “the sentences levied” by the High Court “are clearly light and lenient ones.” The justice ruled that this allowed “the convict, who had admitted misappropriating or stealing N24bn, the option to pay the sum of N250,000 per count of offence in lieu of serving a prison term of two years for the offence,” to enjoy the huge balance he had in his possession.

O ne of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls who secured freedom on Wednesday has narrated how five of them died of heart attack while in custody of Boko Haram insurgents. Khadija Grema narrated her ordeal in the hands of the insurgents to Channels Television correspondent in Yobe State who caught up with her in Jumbam town where Khadija and six others had reportedly been reunited with their parents. She spoke strictly in Hausa language explaining how they were handpicked from their school on the fateful night of the attack and eventually released. Grema said further that the insurgents did not maltreat them but five of them died of heart attack and stress caused by the trauma of the abduction. Read her narration which was transcribed to English Language below: “That fateful day we were ready for dinner when we heard shootings then one of our teacher was calling and directing us to go out through the gate. When we run into the insurgents at the gate, they gathered