PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

                     Located in the Shi'ite Muslim holy city of Najaf,the Peace Valley,a vast cemetery in Iraq holds over five million graves where 200 Iraqis are laid to rest every day.Millions of pilgrims vist the graveyard each year since it surrounds the mausoleum of the first Shi'ite imam,Ali Bin Talib,who was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad.Before the rise of ISIS,between 80 and 120 burials took place at the cemetery each year but this has risen to 150-200.A 25 square metre plot now costs around five million Iraqi dinars {£3,200} almost double what it cost before the insurgency.Thousands of Shi'ites from all over the world chooses to be buried there,with many of them from neighbouring Iran .More photos below.

                       As part of the activities to mark the 2016 World Humanitarian Day,the Senate President,Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki,sent a technical team to Maiduguri,Borno State,to conduct interviews with domestic and international stakeholders working in the IDP camps in the greater Maiduguri area.The purpose of the visit was to collect information about the emergency relief,recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Borno State.Saraki's team were directed to review the coordination between the government of Nigeria and NGO/INGOS, the capacity of service delivery programs and receive feedback from the IDP's themselves.At the camps,the team interacted with groups of committed officials and volunteers of NEMA and SEMA,who stated that the government was doing all that it possibly could to aid and secure the IDPs.However,the complexity and scale of the emergency is far beyond the government's capacity and that Nigeria simply cann...

                   The efforts by the Lagos State Government to raise the standard of education in the state is yielding positive results as pupils and students record improved results in the 2016 Basic Education Certificate Examination {BECE} and Placement Test into the State Junior Secondary Schools conducted recently.The result of the 2016 of the Basic Education Certificate Examination {BECE} released that 128,149 representing 88.14% candidates,who sat for the examination,passed.The Director,Lagos State Examination Board,Mr Olufemi Hassan,who gave a breakdown of the population of students who participated in the examination.noted that out of the 145,393 candidates enrolled for the test,77,982 representing 53.64% candidateswere from Public Schools while 67,411 representing 46.36% candidates were from Private Schools.He explained that candidates who failed in English,Mathematics or both are to re-sit the failed subjects in line with the...

                    Lagos State Governor,Mr Akinwunmi Ambode today tuesday said the aggressive re-positioning of the broadcast stations in the State was part of his administration's strategy aimed at empowering the media outfits to compare favourably with the best in the world,pledging that the State would soon celebrate the birth of new broadcast machinery.Governor Ambode,who spoke while declaring open the 65th General Assembly of the Broadcast Organisation of Nigeria {BON} held in Lagos,said his passion for the information platforms was very high,a development he said accounted for the massive investment aimed re-energizing the broadcast stations in the State.He said ''As an administration,we are committed to re-energizing,re-positioning and re-engineering our broadcast stations by strengthening their operations with the provision of cutting-edge technology that will stand them out amongst their peers around the world.I must confess he...

                                 The wealthy businessman identified as Rachid Nekkaz has already paid out three fines of £33 each after the plush Riviera resort of Cannes said it would fine any woman who turned up on its beaches wearing the full-body swimwear,according to the Telegraph.The mayor of Cannes established a ban on swimming at the city's beaches in burkini.The town of Cannes ban was confirmed by the courts on 13 August.The towns of Villeneuve-Loubet,near Nice,and Sisco in Corsica also followed suit according to BBC.The real estate entrepreneur says that he personally opposed the burkini and niqab but believes that nobody should prevent another from wearing their clothing of choice in a democracy,'provided that this clothing is not threat to freedom of others or the security of the territory''.He said to Telegraph that that ''As soon as I see that France is not respecting fundamental liberties...

                        John Kerry,the US Secretary of State was spotted today with the Sultan of Sokoto for an official visit.John Kerry spoke highly of the Sultan for promoting religious tolerance and understanding among Nigerians.Citing that,the Sultanate Council was building a community of tolerance for peace,progress and political stability in Nigeria.After which Kerry had a closed door meeting with Sultan Sa'ad Abubakar and some leaders of the two major religions according to reports by Vanguard.U.S Secretary of State John Kerry said today tuesday in Sokoto that ''We also know that beating Boko Haram on the battlefield is only the beginning of what we must do..Building public trust in government also requires cooperation from the military and law enforcement.Extremism can't be defeated through repression or fear''.John Kerry will also meet with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja to discuss counter-terrorism efforts,the N...

                          The Nigeria Police Force will subject successful candidates in the ongoing recruitment exercise to compulsory polygraph test {lie detector Test} this test will be in addition to the general background check,biometrics,medical,physical examination,aptitude,oral and psychological tests.The Police will also conduct a thorough verification of all documents submitted by prospective candidates. 2. The Inspector General of Police IGP Ibrahim K. Idris gave this directive while reviewing the recruitment exercise so far and expressed satisfaction with the progress made in recruiting Ten thousand personnel into the Nigeria Police Force.The IGP said that no candidate will be admitted for training at the Police academy and colleges without undergoing these prescribed tests. 3. The Polygraph test is aimed at ensuring that candidates are not of questionable character and their behaviours conform with sandard ...