Gist Arena

On May 7, 2015, a Nigerian, Chuka Umunna, could make history by becoming the first black Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Born in London in 1978, Chuka was bred in the UK. His late father, Bennett, hailed from Anambra State while his Irish mother, Patricia, is a solicitor. Co-incidentally, Chuka shares startling similarities with the United States President, Barack Obama, who is the first black President of the world’s most powerful nation. For instance, Chuka is of mixed race, being the child of a Nigerian father and an Irish mother while Obama is also of mixed race, being the offspring of a white American woman and a Kenyan father. Also Chuka’s father, Bennett, was killed in a mysterious car accident in Nigeria in 1992 while Obama’s father was killed in a car accident in Kenya in 1982. If history repeats itself as it is being predicted by British political observers, Chuka, who is also a six-foot tall lawyer like Obama, could become the first black Prime Minister...

BRITAIN’s Royal Air Force plans to send three fighter jets to help in locating the more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14 this year. The RAF Tornado GR4s equipped with surveillance facilities, according to Daily Mail on Wednesday, will undertake “reconnaissance missions” over the Sambissa Forest where the girls are believed to be held. A British government source told The Times that the jets would help the Nigerian authorities in tracking the movements of the insurgents. The report however added that the mission was dependent on a nearby nation giving the British government the nod to use its runway. A Ministry of Defence spokesman did not deny the report about the deployment of the planes. He said, “The United Kingdom continues to work with the United States and France as well as Nigeria’s neighbours and international partners to provide advice and assistance to the Nigerian government. “Together with our allies we have provided contin...

IBADAN — SEVERAL bush meat sellers, yesterday, proved to sellers and buyers at the popular Aleshinloye market in Ibadan that their wares (bush meat) were not infected with Ebola virus as they ate pieces in public to dismiss the claim. Their action attracted other sellers in the market who empathized with them, saying the sudden spell cast on bush meat was not with good motive. They vowed never to abandon the trade they have been practising for at least 50 years. This came as members of the National Hunters Association of Nigeria dismissed as non-issue, saying in Africa, nobody eats meat until it is well cooked. Speaking through the two associations, Iyalode Bush Meat Sellers Association, Alhaja Risikat Odeyemi, aged 67, and Chief Olasheinde Afolabi Ishola said: “After cooking the meat, it is also roasted and dried for several hours, this does not allow any virus to survive. “Help us ask them to prove to us that after roasting, cooking and drying it on fire, the v...

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested one Pastor Segun Alawode, 37, of Eternal Sacred Order C & S Church Sabo, Odogbolu, Ogun State, for raping a 32-year-old lady in his church premises at Odogbolu Ogun State. The victim alleged that the pastor was in a prayer session with her when he asked her (victim) to hold on to some candle stick and suddenly and forcefully pulled off her wears before he eventually had carnal knowledge of her in the church. The anti-crime team attached to Odogbolu Division of Ogun State Command apprehended him when the victim and her relations stormed the Police Division to notify the Divisional Police Officer of the pastor’s misdeeds and to seek justice through the police. According to the state’s police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, “the matter is currently at the Anti Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the Department of Criminal Investigation, Abeokuta and medical reports so far received on the matter confirmed that the pastor actually co...

Abuja -The confusion rocking Nigerian football took a rather shocking dimension Wednesday when a mysterious mid-morning fire completely gutted the accounts department and the office of the general secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barr. Musa Amadu. The fire which started about 9.15 am was not contained until about 10.20 am when fire fighters from both the Abuja Fire Service as well as construction giants, Julius Berger gained entry into the complex which also houses the FCT Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). Sources say immediately the fire which began from the accounts department was noticed, an unnamed staff opened the door to the office where the fire was already raging under a table and it was put off with a fire extinguisher but soon after it was noticed that the fire was still raging but this time the said staff was nowhere to be found and forced the breaking of the door but before then it was too late because the fire ha...

ABUJA — The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said yesterday, that it would not allow the use of masked security agents to safeguard the 2015 general elections, stressing that “any security personnel deployed for the election must be someone identifiable.” INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who made the position of the Commission known during an interactive session he had in Abuja, yesterday, with both local and international Civil Society OrganiSations, CSOs, involved in monitoring elections in the country, described the emerging trend of using hooded security men for elections as “highly worrisome.” He said: “In recent times, we have witnessed an increased presence of hooded security operatives during elections. This is an emerging trend which is highly worrisome and which needs to be addressed in good time. “Security agents who are deployed on election duties should not be masked, the doctrine of transparency requires that they should be identifiable...

Here are some tweets from Karrueche Tran's timeline as far back as 2009 and 2010 before she started dating Rihanna's ex, Chris Brown.