PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

       This afternoon, The Prince of Wales, on behalf of The Queen, hosted the final of the 2018 Buckingham Palace Garden Parties. His Royal Highness was accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall, The Princess Royal, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, who all met a number today's guests, who had been invited from across the community.Guests are nominated by a number of organisations including the Armed Forces, the emergency services and charities. The Prince meets Karen Gibson of The Kingdom Choir, who performed at the wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex as seen in the photo above.More photos below.

     The arraignment of Dr. Sunday Nkereuwem Etukudoh, Provost of the Federal School of Medical Laboratory Technology, FSMLT, Jos over his complicity in N4.2million fraud, earlier slated for today, June 5, 2018 before Justice D. V. Agishi of the Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State was stalled by the absence of the judge, who was said to be away for another official assignment. Etukudoh is to be arraigned alongside Oyibo on a 6-count charge bordering on fraud by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The FSMLT Provost, in connivance with Ilemona Henry Oyibo, Desk Officer in the Budget Office of Federation, allegedly in 2014 obtained money to the tune of N4.2million from the Federal Government under the pretext of organizing “Budget Preparation Training for the Account/Budget Call Officers of FSMLT, Jos and converted same to personal use. The offence is in contravention of Section 8 (a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act, 200...

     Vice President Yemi Osinbajo today launched the North-East Humanitarian Innovation Hub in Yola, Adamawa State.More details later and more photos below.

           President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja declared that Nigeria is safe and secure for tourism, citing improved security and country’s burgeoning economy. Receiving Mr Zurab Pololikashvili, the Secretary-General of United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) at the Presidential Villa, the President said it would have been inconceivable to host an international tourism conference in Abuja four years ago, because of security concerns. ‘‘I am pleased that the country is now sufficiently safe and secure, and the message should go out to the world for all tourists and business travellers. The first thing tourists look out for is security and I am happy we have it now. ‘‘Minister Lai Mohammed has been trying to convince the world that Nigeria is safe and has great potentials for tourism and investment. I am glad that you and your team have come here to see things for yourself,’’ the President told the UN tourism chief, who is in Ab...

            No fewer than four people are feared dead in yet another clash between armed Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State. An eyewitness, Mr. Terkimbi Tahav who said he escaped death by the whiskers told our correspondent on the phone that they were on the farm at  Dinya village  in Gassol  when nine armed Fulani men riding on three motorcycles invaded the site and  forced them out of the farm. “One of them told us that the  land we were farming on was sold to them by  the Village Head of Kwararafa (Dekechin Kwararafa), Alh. Ibrahim Isah. “We were shocked and tried to resist their attempt to chase us out of our farm,  but they started attacking us with cutlasses so we had to run for our dear lives.“It was when we were running to safety that we found  four of our relations lying dead on their farm.  They  had killed them earlier before proceeding to atta...

      Janet Jackson called police Saturday over concern for her 1-year-old son, Eissa Al Mana, authorities told CNN. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Kimberly Alexander said deputies made a welfare check on behalf of Jackson Saturday evening. Deputies responded to the 2200 block of Pacific Coast Highway where the child was found with his father, Jackson's estranged husband Wissam Al Mana. Alexander said deputies determined that everything was fine and there was no incident. Authorities did not release any further details. Jackson quietly married Al Mana, a Qatari businessman, in 2012. In October 2016, Jackson announced   she was pregnant with her first child at the age of 50. They   welcomed their son in January 2017   and separated soon after. Jackson  told Billboard last month  that her son "has showed me that love, no matter how deeply you believe you have experienced that emotion, can always go deeper.". "Love is limitless. And f...

     According to sources, Two things are happening here: In the photo is Winnie Lufunya ( the girl who resurrected in Ndola) she is being held at the Ndola Central Police. While she was being held at police, the Ndola city coucil were exhuming another body of Winnie at Mitengo Cemetry. The casket was found with her body intact. So now there are two bodies of the same person; one at the cemetery, dead; the other at the police station, alive. Police will undertake a DNA test with Winnie and the family to unravel this mystery. It could be a story of mistaken identity. But the story from the mother says she was told by several people that her daughter was frequently seen in another township. But church members who washed her dead body maintains that she is the one who died, and they remember placing her in the coffin with the same cloths she is currently wearing.Last night she mysteriously disappeared from the police station causing panic among police officers especially w...

           Nigeria joined the rest of the world to observe the 2018 World Environment Day, with the theme: 'Beat Plastic Pollution'. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo participated in activities marking the Day, at the State House Conference Center, Presidential Villa, Abuja. He interacted with students representing Rex Christus College Kubwa, and Junior Secondary School, Nyanya I, Abuja. The VP also planted a tree, in commemoration of the Day.More photos below.

       Operatives of Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC apprehended a handcart pusher, Idris Yusuf, aged 29 at No 5, Olakunle street, Papa Ajao Mushin for unsanitary and illegal disposal of human faeces under the bridge at Daleko, Mushin. The pictures show the 27 bagged human faeces and the SEAL ORDER pasted on the house by officials of LAGESC.More photos below.

     Mrs. Bolanle Ambode kitting some school pupils, during the flag-off of the 2018 Project Bright Steps, organized Hope for Women in Nigeria Initiative at the Cherubim & Seraphim Primary School, Majidun, Ikorodu, on Tuesday, 5th June, 2018. With them is HOFOWEM’s educational team. The initiative was designed to distribute over 50,000 shoes and branded socks to primary one pupils of public schools across the state.More photos below.

      The World Bank has expressed readiness to partner with the Kwara State government to improve the study of technical education and vocational training in the State. The proposed partnership with the state government was disclosed on Monday by the World Bank Senior Education Specialist, Dr Tunde Adekola during the institution’s facility tour of the International Vocational, Technical & Entrepreneurship College (IVTEC) in Ajase- Ipo, Dr Adekola, who led other officials of the bank said the team was at IVTEC to explore available opportunities for partnership with the Kwara State government in skill development and technical vocational training. Adekola expressed satisfaction with the equipment and facilities available at IVTEC and added that the curriculum of the college is in line with the agenda of the World Bank. Furthermore, he described the establishment of the College by the Governor Ahmed-led administration as a right step in a right direction. ...

     Our attention has been drawn to a misleading newspaper headline stating that, “Signing the AfCTA will hurt Nigeria’s private sector, Osinbajo says”. This newspaper headline is unsupported and wrongly alluded from the keynote interview Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, had with David Pilling (Africa Editor, Financial Times), at the Financial Times Nigeria Summit at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos State, on Thursday, 31st May, 2018. What VP Osinbajo said at the Financial Times Nigeria summit was that further official consultations needed to be done with the private sector. He also noted that the President sought to hold proper consultations and necessary engagements to the satisfaction of the private sector. Below are excerpts from the interview. Q: Why hasn’t Nigeria signed the African Free Trade Agreement yet? Vice President: I don’t think the question is whether we would not sign, I think what we would sign is probably a more important th...

     The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibadan Office, today June 5, 2018 arraigned one Oladejo Sherif before Justice A. N. Akintola of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, on one-count charge of fraud to the tune of N7, 200, 000 (Seven Million Two Hundred Thousand Naira) only. The offence is contrary to section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria. Sherif however, pleaded not guilty to the charge p referred against him. Consequent upon his plea, prosecution counsel Ben Ubi indicated his readiness to commence trial immediately having brought his witnesses to court. He thereafter prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody. The defense counsel, Hammed Opasola informed the court that he has no written application for bail but prayed the court to allow him make an oral application for bail but insisted that the court is a court of record.Justice Akintola however refused the defense's oral application and ordered t...

      The ongoing reactivation of the Do-228 aircraft recently handed over to the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has reached an advanced stage. The extent of work was witnessed by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, during on-the-site inspection visits to some units in Kaduna on 4 June 2018. The CAS also inspected the ongoing construc tion of headquarters complex for the Air Training Command Kaduna. He was pleased to observe that work was progressing as scheduled. Meanwhile, the airframe of one of the 3 aircraft received from the NIS had been heavily corroded before it was handed over and therefore Beyond Economic Repairs. Furthermore, preliminary inspections have been conducted on the remaining 2 aircraft by NAF engineers and technicians at 431 Engineering Group, NAF Base Kaduna. One of the 2 repairable Do-238 aircraft that was at Kaduna Civil Airport has already been ferried to the Kaduna military airf...