Author: Platform Times Newspaper

..Committee Dismisses Ojulari’s Explanation As Inadequate … Kyari, Former Officials To Appear Before Lawmakers Daud Olatunji The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has expressed dissatisfaction with explanations offered by the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited over alleged ₦210 trillion discrepancies discovered in the company’s financial records. Chairman of the committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada, said the clarifications provided by the NNPCL management led by its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, failed to adequately justify the financial entries flagged during the review of the company’s audited accounts from 2017 to 2023. Wadada, who represents Nasarawa West Senatorial District,…

The Federal Government spent N27.2tn on debt servicing between 2024 and 2025, underscoring the growing pressure of rising public debt on Nigeria’s finances, a media brief from the Federal Ministry of Finance has revealed. The document, obtained on Sunday, showed that the amount spent on servicing debts within the two-year period exceeded capital expenditure by about N3.9tn, raising fresh concerns about the country’s shrinking fiscal space. According to the brief prepared by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy on Media and Communications, Dr Ogho Okiti, the surge in debt servicing costs was…

Teenage pregnancy remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria, with Kebbi, Zamfara and Kaduna states recording the highest prevalence rates among girls aged 15 to 19, a new national health report has revealed. The 2025 State of Health of the Nation Report, released on Sunday in Abuja, showed that 32 per cent of girls aged 15–19 in Kebbi State have been pregnant, the highest in the country. The report indicated that Zamfara and Kaduna states followed closely with 30 per cent each, while Lagos and Edo states recorded the lowest rates at about three per cent. The findings were…

After 26 years in public service, Mrs Olufunke Francisca Salako reflects on career, widowhood, faith, and the values she believes Nigeria must urgently rediscover. After 26 years in Nigeria’s public service, rising from a junior officer to become the pioneer South-West Zonal Director of the National Orientation Agency, Mrs Olufunke Francisca Salako is bowing out of service. A trained journalist who once worked briefly in the newsroom before life redirected her path, Salako rebuilt her professional life after a decade-long career break and the loss of her husband. Through resilience, faith and a steadfast belief in integrity, she rose steadily…

The Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria has been urged to embrace Islamic principles rather than feminism in addressing the challenges confronting Muslim women. The call was made on Sunday, during the 40th anniversary celebration of FOMWAN held in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The event, which featured a lecture and empowerment programme, was organised in collaboration with the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development at the FOMWAN House, Leme, Abeokuta, to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day. Speaking at the event, the guest lecturer, former Ameerah of Dawah Front Ummu Forum, Abeokuta, Alhaja Ibraheem Rasheedah, said global…

Islamic scholars have stressed that humility and tolerance are indispensable virtues for leaders, not only in religious spheres but in all areas of governance. The submission was made by the Missioner of Daru Soliheem Arabic and Islamic Center, Ota, Fadeelatu Sheikh Ibrahim Ajadi Yusuf, during the annual Salako Family Ramadan Lecture/Tafsir held at the Ota Recreational Club Field, GRA Ota. The event was organised by the Ogun State Deputy Governor, Engineer Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and drew clerics, Islamic groups, and political associates from Aworiland and beyond. Sheikh Yusuf, who delivered a lecture titled “Leadership and Followership in Islam: Lessons from the…

By: Folorunso Fatai Adisa It has been excruciatingly harrowing to read through a number of commentaries on social media, particularly from individuals who should know better, media-literate political actors and self-styled analysts. What is striking in many of these reactions is not only disagreement but a troubling mix of intellectual arrogance and informational poverty. For some, any analysis that does not flatter their political preference must automatically be labelled unprofessional, biased, or sponsored. That reflex alone says much about the poverty of our public discourse. From all indications, I have encountered at least two commentators from my very own home…

Ogun State governorship aspirant, Iyabo Obasanjo, has urged decisive action to ensure women’s rights translate into real justice, as Nigeria joins the world to mark International Women’s Day. In a statement released yesterday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant celebrated Nigerian women while emphasizing that legal protections alone are insufficient. She said the global observance should inspire tangible progress, not just rhetoric. “Fellow Ogun women, today we join millions around the world to celebrate International Women’s Day. This year’s theme, ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,’ is a powerful call to move beyond promises and toward results,” Obasanjo…

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has criticised journalist Mehdi Hasan over his recent interview with presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala, describing the exchange as hostile and lacking the standards of professional journalism. Showunmi, in a statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES, said the encounter between Hasan and Bwala reflected “an attempted public ambush” rather than a serious journalistic engagement aimed at informing viewers. According to him, there is a clear distinction between tough journalism and outright hostility, noting that while the former serves the public interest, the latter merely serves the…

A commercial motorcycle company, Akmode Transport Limited, has raised the alarm over what it described as the arbitrary seizure of motorcycles and alleged extortion by individuals posing as traffic officials in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The company accused the suspects, allegedly operating under the guise of traffic mayors of Abeokuta South and Abeokuta North Local Governments, of illegally impounding motorcycles belonging to its riders and other motorists across parts of the metropolis. In a statement issued on Saturday by its Manager, M.O. Tiamiyu, the firm alleged that the individuals operate mainly around the Kuto axis of Abeokuta, where they reportedly seize…