PINK REPUBLIC/ MY BLOG IS A STORY MARATHON.

 SUSPECTED GENERATOR THIEF NABBED IN MAKURDI  THE shout of thief thief thief! rent the air in the quiet neighbourhood of Welfare quarters street, Makurdi, Benue State, a youngman was seen running away.  Residents of the area, as gathered, had on several occasions, stolen their power generating sets. Most times, the residents would notice that their generating sets would stop  abruptly, thereby plunging them into darkness. Apparently thinking there could have been a technical fault or that the fuel had been exhausted, they would go to where the generating sets were mounted only to discover that they had been stolen!

 Ogun State Partners Nike Art Gallery to Boost Olumo Rock Tourism The Ogun State Government has announced a strategic partnership with the renowned Nike Art Gallery to transform the Olumo Rock Tourist Centre into a premier cultural destination. Governor Dapo Abiodun disclosed the plan during a courtesy visit by the founder of Nike Art Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, to his office in Abeokuta. As part of the initiative, the event centre within the Olumo Rock complex will be converted into a dedicated art exhibition space to showcase works curated by Nike Art Gallery. The project aims to increase annual tourist visits to the site from 20,000 to over 100,000, with completion targeted ahead of the National Sports Festival in May. Governor Abiodun emphasized that the project is part of a broader effort to revamp the state’s cultural tourism sector. Other key attractions, including the Adire Market, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, and the homes of national icons su...

 PRESS RELEASE NIGERIA TO ENHANCE  SUPPORT FOR UN HUMANITARIAN EFFORTS- BADARU The Honourable Minister of Defence H. E. Mohammed Badaru Abubakar CON  mni, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to supporting the United Nations Resident Coordinator and humanitarian services operating across the nation.  The Minister made the pledge during a meeting with Mr. Mohamed Malick Fall, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, at the Minister’s office in Ship House, Abuja. Badaru emphasized the importance of strengthened coordination, collaboration, and sustainable development, stating that the meeting was “long overdue.” He highlighted the need to rekindle long-standing partnerships and build upon previous successes in critical areas such as health, water and sanitation, education and livelihood support. Reflecting on past collaborations, Minister Badaru acknowledged the positive impact of healthy inter-state competition and benchmarking in driving development outcomes. He ...

  CBEX: EFCC Declares Foreigner Wanted The public is hereby notified that ELIE BITAR, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for fraud allegedly perpetrated on an online trading platform called Crypto Bridge Exhange (CBEX).  Bitar is 41 years old and his last known address is at Eng. George Enemoh Crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lekki, Lagos State.

 Syracuse, New York DA gives 11 students who were involved in a terrifying hazing incident exactly 48 hours to turn themselves in... or face "harsher consequences".  Syracuse District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick says he has decided to go forward with charges against 11 students from West Hill High School who were involved in a traumatic hazing incident on April 24th. Not only is he going forward with charges, he has issued an ultimatum to those students involved. He has stated that if the students turn themselves in within 48 hours of issuing the ultimatum the case will be handled through family court and will not be on their permanent criminal record. However if they do not surrender to authorities in this time frame, they will be prosecuted as adults and charged with kidnapping in the second degree. This ultimatum comes after the April 24th incident that Fitzpatrick referred to as "hazing on steroids". On the evening in question, varsity members of Westhill Lacrosse...

 FG Declares Thursday Public Holiday for Workers’ Day The Federal Government has announced Thursday, May 1, as a public holiday to commemorate this year’s Workers’ Day. The declaration was made by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in a statement issued on Tuesday. In the statement, Tunji-Ojo praised Nigerian workers for their diligence and sacrifice, acknowledging their critical role in driving the country’s internal and external growth. “There is dignity in labor; the dedication and commitment to the work we do is vital to nation-building,” he said. The minister called on workers to embrace innovation and productivity, emphasizing that peace is essential for industrialization and economic progress. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring the security of lives and property for all citizens and foreigners in Nigeria. Tunji-Ojo urged Nigerians to remain hopeful, highlighting President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as a cornerstone of the administration’s...

 STATEHOUSE PRESS STATEMENT PRESIDENT TINUBU CONGRATULATES ALIKO DANGOTE ON WORLD BANK APPOINTMENT President Bola Tinubu congratulates Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the President of Dangote Group, on his appointment to the World Bank's Private Sector Investment Lab, a body tasked with promoting investment and job creation in emerging economies. The President describes the appointment as apt, given Dangote's rich private sector experience, strategic investments, and many employment opportunities created through his Dangote Group. The Dangote Group became one of Africa's leading conglomerates through innovation and continuous investment. Dangote Group's business interests span cement, fertiliser, salt, sugar, oil, and gas. However, the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals remains Africa's most daring project and most significant single private investment. President Tinubu urges Dangote to bring to bear on the World Bank appointment his transformative idea...

 PGC: NSCDC BOSS PRESENT PRACTICING LICENCE TO PRIVATE SECURITY PRACTITIONERS HARPS ON PROMPT INTELLIGENCE GATHERING IN COMPLIANCE WITH CORE ETHICAL STANDARD  As part of the Corps statutory mandate to train, supervise, monitor, and issue practicing licence to Private Guard Companies; the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi mni, OFR has presented practicing licences to 50 Private Security Practitioners at the National Headquarters, Abuja. Speaking during his keynote address, the CG said that over 200 applications were received through the NSCDC Private Guard Companies Department (PGC Department and they were  thoroughly screened after which only 50 companies met the requisite conditions to be issued with operational licence. The NSCDC helmsman reiterated categorically that the Corps carried out thorough.  screening and vetting before recommending the companies to the Minister of Interior for approval and issuance ...

  Stop de-marketing Nigeria when you go abroad - Orji Uzor Kalu tells Opposition  Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has cautioned opposition leaders to stop demarketing the country in the name of politics.  Posting on his Facebook page , the former Abia state governor and staunch Bola Tinubu supporter said politicians should stop going abroad to speak ill of Nigeria as it will reduce the foreign investments coming into Nigeria.  His comments come after Peter Obi last week at the John Hopkins University alleged that in “Nigeria, politicians pay youths N20,000 to insult those advocating for their future on social media.”. Watch video below. 

 A Class 4 mathematics textbook published by NCERT has come under sharp criticism for incorrectly portraying the Indian rhinoceros and spreading misinformation about its conservation.  The controversy erupted after readers pointed out that the illustration in the book, meant for young children, wrongly depicts the single-horned Indian rhino with two horns. The issue was first flagged on social media by Udoy Bhaskar Borah, who called the error unacceptable in a national textbook. Apart from the inaccurate drawing, the accompanying text has also raised concerns. Assam-based conservationist and rhino expert Bibhab Kumar Talukdar criticized the textbook for omitting crucial facts and presenting misleading information. While the book mentions the rhino’s population being reduced due to floods and the “medicinal value” of their horns, Talukdar emphasized that floods are a natural process important for rhino habitats and that the claim of medicinal value promotes dangerous myths lead...

 "WE WILL DEEPEN CULTURAL COLLABORATIONS WITH LOCAL, INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS" - TOURISM COMMISSIONER  The Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering cultural development through strategic collaborations with both local and international stakeholders.  This was disclosed by the Honourable Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, on Tuesday during a courtesy visit by the Co-founder and Managing Director of IGA Nigeria Limited, Mr. Gbolahan Ajala, who also serves as a Heritage Consultant to the State Government. Mrs. Benson-Awoyinka, who warmly welcomed the visiting delegation, acknowledged the alignment between the Ministry’s ongoing initiatives and the vision of the visiting team.  She said, “As a government, we place a high premium on culture and heritage. Our ongoing projects, including the construction and transformation of theatres into cinemas and the establishment of youth engagement centres, reflect our strong...

 Nigeria’s non-oil exports hit $1.79bn in Q1 2025 — NEPC The Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nonye Ayeni, has revealed that Nigeria’s non-oil export performance for the first quarter of 2025 reached US$1.791 billion, marking a 24.75% increase from the US$1.436 billion recorded in the same period in 2024. Speaking during the presentation of the Q1 non-oil export progress report in Abuja, Ayeni also noted a significant rise in export volume, which climbed to 2.416 million metric tonnes — a 243.44% increase compared to the 1.937 million metric tonnes reported in Q1 2024. She attributed the growth to the success of the Council’s various export intervention programmes, particularly the “Double Your Exports” campaign. Ayeni further disclosed that 197 distinct products were exported in the first quarter of 2025, up from 162 products in the same period the previous year. She said, “In the presentation of the 2024 non-oil export performance in January las...

 AFWC ENGAGES IN CONTINENTAL SECURITY DIALOGUE IN MOROCCO The Air Force War College (AFWC), alongside the Defence and other Services' War Colleges, proudly represented Nigeria at the 2nd Forum of African War Colleges Commandants’ Seminar held in Rabat, Morocco, from 21–26 April 2025. With participants from 14 African nations, the seminar focused on advancing strategic military education and forging united responses to Africa’s evolving security landscape. Highlighting the importance of such engagements, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Hasan Bala Abubakar, stressed the need for “leveraging cutting-edge technology, strategic partnerships, and lessons learnt from regional experiences” to strengthen military effectiveness. AFWC Commandant, Air Vice Marshal Babatunde Phillips, reaffirmed the College’s role in   developing skilled personnel to employ airpower strategies and innovations for the effective conduct of air operations to enhance security in Nigeria and the contin...

 MY DEFECTION FROM PDP IMMINENT, GOV. ENO DECLARES 30th April, 2025       |       3:55 PM  Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has given hint of his possible defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was like a spoilt plane and may no longer has the capacity to take him to the next destination from 2027. Speaking against the backdrop of recent gale of defections from the PDP with the latest being the Delta State governor Sheriff Oborewori, who moved with several supporters to the APC, Pastor Eno hinted that the heavily fragmented PDP may soon grind to a halt. Addressing a mammoth crowd that thronged the Town Square meeting of the Ukanafun/Oruk Anam federal constituency on Tuesday at the QIC Central School, Ikot Akpankuk, headquarters of Ukanafun local government area, the governor disclosed that he might join the fray soon as the crucial 2027 election year inch...

 FG Targets Efficiency in MDAs with Sweeping Reforms - Information Minister  The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has said that the administration of President Bola Ahmed is focused on institutionalizing bold reforms to strengthen governance and boost service delivery across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. Idris stated this in Abuja on Wednesday at the unveiling of the Nigeria Procurement Certification Portal by the Bureau of Public Procurement in collaboration with the World Bank. He said the introduction of the digital portal is aimed at addressing some of the most critical challenges in public procurement, such as persistent bottlenecks, including suboptimal procurement practices, insufficiently skilled personnel, and the lack of institutionalized capacity-building frameworks. “This event represents a major milestone in the ongoing transformation of Nigeria’s public procurement system, fully in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ...