PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

I am reliably informed that there was a total National Grid Collapse at precisely 12:23pm today. This is one collapse too many. It is the 6th time this is happening this year alone. Due to the priority that I place on the power sector upon which the successes of other sectors are hinged, I am proposing innovative financing of infrastructure that will involve the facilitation of a review of the financial, legal, and regulatory environment to promote private investment in power, among other sectors. I’ll promote the incentivisation, with tax breaks, a consortium of private sector institutions to establish an Infrastructure Debt Fund (IDF) to primarily mobilise domestic and international private resources for the financing and delivery of large infrastructure projects across all the sectors of the economy. The IDF will have an initial investment capacity of approximately US$20 billion. In addition, I’ll cause the creation of an Infrastructure Development Credit Guarantee Agency to complem...

July 20, 2022   Press Statement   Osun Governorship Election: PDP Savours Appeal Court Judgment on Adeleke   The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) receives with delight, the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the PDP Governorship Election Primary that produced Osun State Governor-Elect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, as the rightful candidate of the PDP for the July 16, 2022 Osun State Governorship election.   The Appeal Court judgement which puts to rest all contestations regarding the validity of the Candidacy of the Osun State Governor-Elect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, comes as further validation of the Will and aspiration of the people of Osun State which they overwhelmingly expressed on July 16.   The judgment is a firm confirmation that the Osun State governorship primary was transparently conducted by the Sen. Dr. Iyorchia Ayu-led National Working Committee (NWC) in strict compliance with the provisions of the PDP Constitution and Electoral Guidelines as prov...

No Bread for You: Panic as Nigerian bakers begin strike over rising costs  Bread makers have said it will begin a four-day warning strike tomorrow, July 21 to protest unbearable cost of doing business in Nigeria. In a statement on Wednesday, the President, Premium Breadmakers Association of Nigeria (PBAN), Emmanuel Onuorah, said that operating a bakery in Nigeria has become near impossible as the incessant increase in the prices of baking materials and diesel rendered the industry comatose. He added that members of his association comprising owners, managing directors and partners of premium bakeries in Nigeria are mostly running on huge losses and this is no longer sustainable. “In a move to ensure the survival of the Premium breadmaking industry in Nigeria, we have decided to embark on a withdrawal of services beginning from Thursday 21st July, 2022 for four days in the first instance and where no intervention from the government, we shall escalate the duration of the withdrawal,...

Uphold Professionalism and Shun Corrupt Practices – ICPC advises JAMB Staff The Independent Corrupt practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) office in Owerri, Imo state has called on the staff of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Imo state to uphold a high level of professionalism and shun corrupt practices in the discharge of their official duties. The call was made by an Assistant Commissioner of the ICPC, Mrs. Chinwe Egbeocha at a sensitization programme organized by the Commission for the management and staff of the Board, at their conference room recently. The Assistant Commissioner emphasized that since one of the very important roles of the Board is to ensure a successful administration of examinations to candidates to enhance their consideration for admission in tertiary institutions, they must ensure that the best candidates are being admitted for the smooth running of the school system. She advocated for attitudinal change to be embraced by the sta...

Troops of Operations Hadin Kai have confirmed the rescue of another Chibok school girl, Ruth Bitrus, who escaped from Boko Haram captivity with her child. The Theatre Commander of Operations Hadin Kai, Major General GC Musa, made this known in Maimalarin Barracks during the official handing over of medical equipment by the North-East Development Commission to support the military on Wednesday, July 20. “You would recall that some weeks ago, we rescued two Chibok girls and their children, I will like to inform you that we have rescued another in the course of our operations. We will not rest until Leah Shaibu and other Chibok girls are returned and united with their families. We won’t rest until all of them are safely returned. Ruth Britus was rescued from Sambisa forest with her son,” Maj Gen. Musa said It would be recalled that some days ago, the troops had rescued two Chibok girls, Mary Dauda and Hauwa Joseph, after they escaped from Boko Haram camp in Gazuwa, located about 9 kilomet...

A female student of Arthur Jarvis University in Akpabuyo local government area of Cross River State has been abducted by gunmen.  The student was abducted after the gunmen invaded the school's hostel around 8pm on Tuesday July 19.  The Acting Registrar of the institution, Mrs.Ughas Ngozi said in a statement;   “Management is on top of events and the security agencies are in control of the situation. All students and staff are please requested to remain calm and go about their normal duties.” The public are also warned to desist from circulating false information." Multiple sources told The Nation that the incident occurred while students were returning from their night reading class.  Others who escaped from the attack sustained various degrees of injuries. The Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, said the Commissioner Of Police, Aminu Alhassan has deployed the anti- kidnapping, anti cultism and dragon units to forestall law and order and secure the kidn...

Kaduna Now Dangerous Terrain For Christian Leaders – CAN  Following the discovery of the decomposing body of one of the Kaduna Catholic Priests abducted by bandits and the persistent killing of Priests in the State, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State chapter, has described the state as a dangerous terrain for Christian leaders. The Kaduna CAN chairman, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, made the assertion while reacting to the killing of one of the abducted Kaduna priests, Very Rev. Fr. John Mark Cheitnum, who until his death, was the CAN chairman in Jema’a local government area of the state, as well as coordinator of CAN in Southern Kaduna zone. “Am short of words of how we are losing our Priests, Kaduna State is a dangerous place now and not safe for Christian leaders. It is so painful that we are burying our Priests almost on weekly basis, it is very unfortunate of where we found ourselves today in our country,” he said. He, however, said that they were consoled that ...

No Ikoyi Lagos properties sold by NDLEA The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has described claims in an anonymous write up going round on WhatsApp platforms that a certain former Chairman/CEO of the Agency sold off its headquarters office buildings in Ikoyi, Lagos, leaving officers and men stranded, as a total distortion of facts. The Agency wishes to state that buildings referred to in the circulating piece, which did not belong to it in the first place, served as its National Headquarters before its relocation to Abuja some years ago. It should be noted that a Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC) on Federal Government Landed Properties took over the buildings following a government directive that all vacated or underutilised government properties be taken over by the PIC, sold and proceeds paid to federal government coffers. At the time of relocation, 70% of the Agencys headquarters staff moved to Abuja while the remaining 30% are still in Shaw road office, Ikoyi. T...

RCCG Commissions Ultramodern Dialysis Centre In Awkuzu  Enoch and Folu Adeboye Ultramodern Dialysis Centre has been commissioned at Comprehensive Medical Centre, Awkuzu, Anambra State.  This centre is courtesy of His Love Foundation, a charity arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG. The center, which has three dialysis machines and one Medical Water Reverse Osmosis Purification System, was commissioned as part of activities to mark the seventieth anniversary of the RCCG.  A similar project will also be commissioned at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Enugu State in days time according to RCCG officials. Speaking at the event, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, represented by Pastor Kalu Ndukwe, and the Intercontinental Overseer, Christian Social Responsibility, CRS, RCCG, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, represented by the CSR Coordinator for Africa 3, Pastor Detola Akinremi, who explained that RCCG is ...

Government Task Force To Remove Major Blockage Obstructing Free Flow Of Water Into River Niger An illegal drainage along Nwangene Stream, River Niger Way, Onitsha which has become a major blockage of flood water has been marked for demolition by Anambra State Government Taskforce. The government taskforce which was led by the Commissioner for Works, Engineer Ifeanyi Okonma stormed Onitsha to stop the action of Federal Inland Waterways workers who blocked the original waterways and drainages and created their own makeshift drainage thereby causing huge gullies in the area.  According to the Commissioner, Governor Soludo is determined and committed to making Anambra state a liveable and prosperous mega City which can only beachieved by disrupting many things in the state. He explained that opening the original waterways which is blocked by illegal activities of people in the area is one of government's efforts to help the citizenry, pointing out that flood has done a lot of damage...

*INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE FAMILY WELFARE INSURANCE SCHEME:  CP ECHENG PRESENTS CHEQUES WORTH NINE MILLION, ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND NAIRA ONLY The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, *CP Echeng Echeng*, today 19/7/2022 on behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba Alkali, psc (+), fdc, NPM presented cheques worth Nine million one hundred thousand naira (#9,100,000) to fifteen (15) families of deceased Police officers attached to the Command. The gesture is an initiative of the Inspector-General of Police *”IGP family welfare insurance scheme”* aimed at giving succour to the family of Police officers who died in active service. Also, the gesture is aimed at spurring officers’ to greatness while discharging their statutory duties with the assurance that, their welfare is of paramount importance to the Administration of the Force.  The *CP* while presenting the cheques, to the beneficiaries thanked the Inspector-General of Police for his relentless effort...

This got me teary.. Chimamanda Adichie Wishes Peter Obi A Happy Birthday With Powerful Write Up Happy Birthday to Peter Obi, my dearest Big Bro: I will never forget your kindness to my beloved parents. Thank you for the respect you showed them, for your many visits to Abba, where you gave to Daddy and Mummy the most precious gifts: your time and your attention. Thank you for walking this still-unbearable journey of grief with my siblings and me. I remember how you regaled Daddy and Mummy with your stories until we started joking about your obsession with the “GDP of Malaysia.” But your obsession spoke of hope: your hope for Nigeria, your belief in what Nigeria could be. A belief that has always been practical, grounded in numbers and in reality. I remember when you came to support me as I was being honored by the United Nations Foundation in New York, and I teased you about the inexpensive hotel you were staying in, and you shrugged and said, “it’s just a place to sleep, why do I need ...

CAN Disowns Fake Bishops At Shettima’s Unveiling, Says Tinubu Hired Mechanics  The Christian Association of Nigeria on Wednesday dissociated itself from Bishops who attended the unveiling of the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Kashim Shettima, saying they were desperados who went there for themselves. The organisation said that although the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was free to “hire mechanics and other artisans and sew clerical garments for them”, that effort would only add to their many ropes but would not change the need for fairness and justice. The Vice President of CAN (19 Northern States and Abuja) and its chairman in Kaduna State, Rev. Joseph John Hayab, said this in an interview with journalists in Abuja. He said, “The people we saw at the unveiling of Shettima paraded as Bishops are people who did not have enough time to learn how to wear Bishop garments. Take a closer look at their photo and you will see another N...

SANWO-OLU RE-LAUNCHES LAGOS RESIDENCY CARD WITH SMART FEATURES …State Targets 10 Million Residents For Enrollment Before December …‘Registration Is Free, Card Useful For 28 Services’ - LASRRA Boss The move by the Lagos State Government to generate a comprehensive database of all persons residing in the State has moved a notch higher, with the launch of an upgraded and chip-embedded smart residency card by the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), on Wednesday. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu personally unveiled the smart residency card at launching events held simultaneously across five locations in the State. The locations include Ikeja, Lagos Island, Badagry, Ikorodu and Epe. The new card offered a transition from an ordinary plastic card, meant only for identification purposes, to a smart, multi-purpose ID that combines biometric identification with other benefits, such as security, financial services, transportation and access to government services and amenities.  Mo...

PRESIDENT BUHARI SHOWCASES 266 ECOLOGICAL PROJECTS COMPLETED UNDER HIS WATCH, DIRECTS MDAS TO PUBLICISE ACHIEVEMENTS A total of 266 ecological projects have been completed across the country in the last seven years (2015-2022), President Muhammadu Buhari declared Wednesday in Abuja.   Speaking at the launch of a compendium of ecological projects undertaken by this administration, the President said 332 ecological projects were approved during the period in review, out of which 266 were accomplished while the remaining 66 are at different stages of completion. The President, who launched the publication before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, commended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Management Team of the Ecological Project Office (EPO), for the judicious use of available resources for the effective implementation of approved projects, as well as the initiative for the publication.   In order to leverage the benefits ac...