PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

                         Lagos state is set to join the league of pencil producers in the world as a pencil manufacturing company has been given the nod by the Akinwunmi Ambode Administration to pioneer production of the age-long writing tool in the state.,This was made known yesterday thursday by Prof Ademola Abass,Special Adviser,Officer of Overseas Affairs and Investment at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre,Alausa,keja during the Y2016 Ministerial Press Briefing of the Lagos State Government as part of activities marking the one year in Office of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.Prof. Abass,who emphasised that the State Government would only approve investment proposals that are beneficial to Lagosians,said the proposal for pencil manufacturing by Gold Anchor Investment Ltd,was approved by the State Government coupled with the facilitation of an expanse of land in the Epe axis of the state for the company to build its factory.The Special Adviser to the Governor noted that it was surprising t

                     According to The Nation,there were concerns today friday in Lokoja,Kogi state,over the reported abduction of a bother to the Senate President,Bukola Saraki.A police source told the media that the unnamed brother of the Senate president was kidnapped at Irepani,close to Kabba junction,Adavi local government are of Kogi state.The source said the victim who was kidnapped at about 1:00pm,was heading to Ilorin,Kwara state.It was later gathered that the abductors have already established contact with the victim's family and demanded N30 million naira ransom.One more photo below.                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                          In a statement issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation,Mr Babachir David Lawal,it said,the decision was with effect from yesterday thursday,May 19,2016.The statement reads ''His excellency.President Muhammadu Buhari,GCFR,has in the exercise of his powers,approved the disengagement of Mr John Kennedy Opara as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission with effect from Thursday,May 19,2016.Mr President,however,thanked him for his invaluable service to the nation and wishes him well in his future endeavours''.One more photo below.                                                                                                             

                Today friday,Egypt said its navy had found human remains,wreckage and the personal belongings of passengers floating in the Mediterranean,confirmation that an Egypt Air jet had plunged into the sea with 66 people on board.President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered condolences for those on board,amounting to Egypt's official acknowledgement of their deaths,although there was still no explanation of why the Airbus had crashed.The Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement that ''The Egyptian navy was able to retrieve more debris from the plane,some of the passengers belongings,human remains,and plane seats''.The navy was searching an area about 290 km {180 miles} north of the port city of Alexandria,just south of where the signal from the plane was lost early yesterday thursday.The Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said that it was too early to rule out any cause for the crash.The aviation minister said a terrorist attack was more likely than a techni

                  According to sources,South Sudan will abolish foreign curricula inits schools,replacing them with its own national curriculum.The country's minister for General Education and Instruction Deng Deng Hoc said the new curriculum would be well researched an forcused on .''The situation in the country,it is only the national curriculum of south Sudan that is supposed to be taught in the whole country.All other foreign curricula will need to be phased out''.South Sudan has been using Kenyan,Ugandan,Sudanese and Ethiopian curricula in its schools.Deng however said international schools would be exempted from this change.One more photo below.                                                            

                     Few hours ago,Governor Ambode of Lagos state commissions Adekunle Kuye/Rosanwo street,Aguda and  and block of 18 classrooms with modern facilities at Lagos Progressive Senior High School,in Surulere Local Government.This is a good development and Ambode was represented.More photos below.                      

                                                       At about 11:00am yesterday,thursday 19th May 2016,troops of 231 Battaliob,331 Artillery Regiment {AR},Detachment of Armed Forces Special Forces {AFSF} 2,Explosive Ordinance {EOD} Team and Civilian Vigilante group of Buratai,conducted clearance operations at Shettima Aboh,Hong and Biladdili general area in Damboa Local Government Area of Borno state.During the operations,the troops killed 35 Boko Haram terrorists and recovered several arms and ammunitions and other items.In addition,they rescued 97 women and children held captives by the Boko Haram terrorists.We are glad to state that among those rescued is a girl believed to be one of the Chibok Government Secondary School girls that were abducted on the 14th April 2014 by the Boko Haram terrorists.Her name is Miss Serah Luka,who is number 157 on the list of the abducted school girls.She is believed to be the daughter of Pastor Luka.During debriefing the girl revealed that she was