PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

     According to the magazine '' Lady Gaga ’s house, one of them at least, is built into a hill (a Hollywood hill, but I will give you no indication of which one because I was asked by three very nice people not to).When I arrive, I’m ushered into a room to wait. I am in a basement. If you are a suburbia-bred American, it’s probably the basement of your youth: parquet floor, a stack of board games in the corner, those plastic Container Store bins with drawers that are stuffed with white things I can only assume are T-shirts from high school concerts and charity 5Ks. There is a dry-erase board on one wall. But then, on a couch in the middle of the room (white, splattered with multicolored paint), there sits a lovely shopping bag, fresh and pristine. You might think for a moment: Is this...the welcome gift that awaits the guests of  Lady Gaga ? Of course, as a journalist,  I  did not think that, and if it was a gift I never would have accepted it, but...

      President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja said heavy schedule of the inaugural Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday held his attention for many hours, keeping him from following the court ruling that validated his victory at the polls. The President, who received All Progressives Congress (APC) party leaders and Progressives Governors’ Forum, at the State House, said he was happy with the ou tcome of the judgement, urging the governors to join hands in strengthening the party for the future. “By some coincidence, this judgement came on the same day we had the first meeting of the Federal Executive Council that lasted for seven hours. I was very busy on that day. “And our focus was on the budget for 2020. So while you were there at the court for nine hours of judgement, we were here for seven hours,’’ he said. President Buhari said the victory at the tribunal was collective as it affects all the party members, governors and Nigerians, point...

     Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday met with the leadership of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to discuss measures being taken towards alleviating hardship faced by Ijegun residents over the activities of cluster oil depots in the area. The meeting, held at the Lagos House in Marina, was aimed at bringing lasting relief to residents living around the vulnerable areas hosting oil tank farms and depots belonging to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The Thursday discussion was a follow-up to an informal meeting between the State Government and the DPR leadership, following bitter agitations by Ijegun residents whose livelihoods were affected perennial traffic gridlock resulting from the operations of the oil tank farms. The Governor said the need to assuage the hardship faced by agitated residents led to the move to spearhead a joint action by the State Government, DPR and operators of the oil tank farms, which m...

     The Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Sustainable Development Goals and Investment, Mrs. Solape Hammond has disclosed that plans have been put in place by the State Government to begin investment promotions with the Malaysian Government towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Hammond disclosed this at a meeting held recently in her office with a delegation of the Malaysia High Commission, led by the Trade Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Mohd Khairy Maidin. She noted that Malaysia’s readiness to partner with the State in harnessing investment opportunities will be beneficial to both governments, stressing that investment opportunities will be identified in key sectors that can aid the achievement of the Global Sustainable Development Agenda. “Lagos is ready to embrace any collaboration aimed at delivering tangible investments that can guarantee a better life for the majority of our people. The State Government is working rou...

     Dino Melaye, the senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District on Thursday, September 12th informed the FCT High Court in Apo, Abuja, that he was injured and could not stand in the dock to continue his criminal trial. The senator is facing a six count criminal charges of attempted suicide, escape from police custody, damage to police property, mischief’s, and threat to public servants. The trial judge had at last sitting on May 28, 2019 adjourned the case to September 11, 18 and October 3, 2019 for continuation of hearing and examination of witnesses by the defence counsel. But Melaye was “assisted” to enter the court room by two of his aides who claimed he could not walk alone. Benson Igbanoi (who stood in for Mike Ozekhome) informed the trial court that he was injured in the last Governorship primary election conducted in Lokoja last week Tuesday when gunmen invaded the stadium, venue of the primary. Justice Sylvester Orji, in his ruling, accepte...

    The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has recorded another major feat with the destruction of an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) training camp near Mallam Fatori on the fringes of Lake Chad in the Northern part of Borno Sate. The operation was executed on 10 September 2019, based on credible intelligence reports and confirmatory Intelligence  Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions that identified a building on one of the Lake Chad islands that was being used by the terrorists as a facility to indoctrinate and train new fighters. The ATF therefore dispatched its aircraft to attack the location, which upon arrival over the target area observed significant activity of the terrorists. The attack aircraft scored devastating hits on the building completely destroying it and neutralizing the ISWAP occupants. The few other fighters seen fleeing the location were mopped-up by follow-on attacks. The NAF, operating in concert with surfac...

     President Buhari will depart Abuja Saturday to attend the one-day ECOWAS Heads of State and Government Extraordinary Summit on Counter-Terrorism, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Given the growing threat of terrorism in the sub-region, the West African leaders had called for the Summit to review different initiatives taken so far, and redefine the priority intervention areas for the contain ment of the worrisome attacks in the area. The decision to convene the Summit was reached at the 55th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja on June 29, 2019. President Buhari recognises the imperative of collective actions in the fight against terrorism, and will continue to partner with ECOWAS member states and international organisations to address the menace. In Ouagadougou, ECOWAS leaders are expected to adopt a priority action plan on counter-terrorism and put in place a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the measure...

     The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, Ibrahim Magu on Thursday, September 12, 2019 advised members of the public against being in haste to make money or desire to make it at all cost. He gave the advice as he engaged residents of Kaduna State in a live radio phone-in programme on Nagarta Radio, Kaduna, as part of efforts at sensitizing them on the activities and mandate of the Commi ssion. Magu who was represented by the Head, Kaduna Zonal Office, Mailafia Yakubu featured in the station’s popular Hausa programme, "Rana Mudu Aiki." Responding to his listeners, Magu cleared the air on the size of recoveries in terms of money and properties the Kaduna Zone has so far made. He further explained to the public how the zonal office can be reached for complains; the types of cases the Commission handles, the many facets of internet fraud and synergy between the Commission and the courts. He charged parents and guardians to mo...

     The Benue State government will soon recruit about 5,000 teachers in its primary education system. The State Governor, Samuel Ortom disclosed on Thursday, while inaugurating 23 Special Advisers, Chairman and members of the State Universal Basic Education Board(SUBEB) in Makurdi, the state capital. He said as one of his priority areas, he will be injecting about N6.6billion UBEC counterparts funding to the primary school sector for infrastructural development. Ortom urged the Chairman and Members of SUBEB to deal decisively with the issue of “ghost teachers and dead teachers” with the aim of getting rid of them. He cautioned the new Chairman of the SUBEB not to operate as a sole administrator as in the case of the past chairman but work with the members and management of the Board for effective performance. “Our desire is for all Benue Children to enroll for a bright future. Primary school education is key,” Ortom said He appealed to parents to join hand...

     Baring all for the October issue of @harpersbazaarus   💗   Photos by @marianovivanco. @ Getty Villa-Demi Moore wrote on social media .    According to the  magazine '' Demi Moore turns up on the doorstep of my rental house in Wales in late July bearing gifts. She unloads them herself from the trunk of a black sedan, calling goodbye to a driver she’s known for two hours like it’s been two years. (“See you sooon, Bryan!”) There are biscuits. Gummies. Wildflowers. A room spray that claims to purify more than just the scent of a space. There’s a cashmere shawl (the one I’m now writing this in) from Debonnaire in London, the same chic out-of-the-way gift guru where she bought the patterned sack dress she’s wearing with scuffed Stan Smith’s, tiny shards of gold glinting in her earlobes and on her dainty knuckles. The minute she sets her things down in the little pink bedroom upstairs (“I kind of like this girly one!” she says as she flops onto t...

       OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT PRESS RELEASE FG WILL TAKE 100M NIGERIANS OUT OF POVERTY IN 10 YEARS BY GOD’S GRACE, SAYS OSINBAJO Below are excerpts of Vice President’s remarks during a visit Thursday afternoon at the palace of the Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammadu Bashar in Kebbi State. I want to thank you very much for hosting us today, we are here for several things; the MSMEs, look at the new markets that have been rebuilt after the fire and for some of the schemes that have taken place. One of the very important schemes is what is called the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, which has the TraderMoni and MarketMoni. TraderMoni is the scheme where we give petty traders, N10,000, and when they pay back, N15,000, then N20,000 and it goes on and on to N100,000. The President’s desire for this programme is that every hard-working citizen of this country should be able to have some support from government, no matter how little their inven...

       The Lagos State Government on Wednesday began the evacuation of squatters as well as removal and clearing of shanties within Abijo GRA to rid the scheme of all forms of illegal activities and environmental nuisance perpetrated by inhabitants of the Estate. The Director, Town Planning Services, TPL. Olakunle Aboyeji, who led the enforcement team, said that the Authority is determined to remove all shanties and clear squatters within all government-owned schemes throughout the State starting with the Abijo GRA. He said, “The Lagos State Government frowns at erection of shanties in and around government schemes and is set to fully implement a zero-tolerance policy against all illegal shanties and squatters within government schemes.” He emphasised the State government’s commitment to promoting a clean, conducive, decent, healthy atmosphere in the schemes, stressing that all zonal officers of the Authority have been directed to ensure all illegal...

     Justice Mojisola Dada of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos has convicted and sentenced one Lawrence Maduagwu to 10 years imprisonment for $179,000 fraud. The convict was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, on Wednesday, February 28, 2018, on a two-count charge bordering on stealing and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of $179,000.00. Maduagwu was introduced to the complainant, PMC Industry Limited, a Chinese company, through its Nigerian representative, Ohio Ileogben, as a businessman who deals in calcium chloride chemicals. He, however, failed to pay for the 500 metric tonnes of calcium powder valued at the sum of $179,000, after taking delivery of the items and efforts to get him pay for the goods were unsuccessful. Count one reads: “That you, Lawrence Maduagwu, sometime in 2013, at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, induced PMC Industry Limited, China to confe...