Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…: Debt Stock Climbs To N77.8tn As Borrowing Surges …Interest Payments Rise Despite Naira Appreciation Daud Olatunji Nigeria paid N140.29 billion in interest on its domestic US dollar bond between January and September 2025, the Debt Management Office (DMO) has revealed, underscoring the rising cost of foreign-currency borrowing amid ongoing exchange rate pressures. The DMO’s Actual Domestic Debt Service report showed that the Federal Government made two interest payments on the FGN US Dollar Bond within the period—N67.99 billion in March and N72.31 billion in September—bringing the nine-month total to N140.29 billion. This figure formed part of the N6.06…

— A New Political Equation Ahead of 2027 By  Olalekan  Shoyinka (Ayinla Egba) As Ogun State steadily moves toward the 2027 governorship election, the political atmosphere is gradually transitioning from speculation to strategic positioning. Conversations that once revolved around possibilities are now taking definite shape through declarations, alignments, and quiet negotiations across the three senatorial districts. In my earlier interventions — “2027: A Clarion Call to Our Leaders and People in Egbaland” and “Let’s Talk: What Are the Likely Implications If Ogun State Has No Egba Governor in 2027?” — I raised fundamental questions about political realism, historical lessons, and…

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command on Saturday said it had successfully rescued a two-month-old baby boy after his alleged abductor was apprehended in a swift operation. DSP Timfon John, the Police Public Relations Officer, said the mother of the child, identified as Peace F., reported the abduction at about 8:28 a.m. on Thursday. Preliminary investigations revealed that the child had been left in the care of his grandmother for a short while. Upon returning, the mother discovered the baby missing. “Further enquiries revealed that 23-year-old Goodnews F., of Ikot Etetuk Village, allegedly tore the window net and took the…

Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has indefinitely suspended two key commissioners for dereliction of duty. The affected officials are Engineer Stanley Lebechi Mbam, Commissioner for Works, and Chief Ogbonnaya Obasi Abara, Commissioner for Infrastructure Development. The directive, contained in a brief statement released by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Monday Uzir, on Friday, February 27, mandates the duo to immediately hand over all government properties in their possession, including official vehicles, to the Secretary to the State Government. The statement did not detail specific allegations but cited “dereliction of duties” as the basis for the suspension, signaling a stern…

Ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State, the Convener of the Alternative Movement, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has cautioned political aspirants against turning the race into an ethnic contest or a campaign of calumny against the Senator representing Ogun West, Adeola Olamilekan Yayi. Showunmi, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, gave the warning on Friday while receiving the state executives of the Action Alliance at his residence in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta. He urged governorship hopefuls to focus on clear, issue-based manifestos rather than fanning tribal sentiments or engaging in personal attacks. “Campaign your campaign without an attack on…

Engr. Michael Abayomi Adeyanju, the Director General of the Imole Progressive Network, will today be conferred with the prestigious Otunba chieftaincy title in Ayede-Ekiti, Ekiti State. The conferment ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, February 28, 2026, is expected to draw prominent traditional rulers, political figures, community leaders and associates from within and outside Ekiti State. In a statement issued ahead of the ceremony, the Secretary-General of the Imole Progressive Network, Hon. Olorunfemi Christopher Ibukun, urged coordinators and secretaries of the group across various chapters to mobilise and ensure strong participation at the event. The Otunba title is one of the highly…

The Oyo State Police Command has dismantled a suspected transnational ammunition trafficking syndicate, arresting two men and recovering 2,625 pump-action cartridges allegedly smuggled into the country from the Benin Republic. The suspects, identified as Isiaka Dare, 35, and Taiwo Ayodabo, 33, were apprehended at Budo Mosalasi area of Saki during a coordinated intelligence-driven operation by operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit, Saki Operation Base. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, disclosed the development in a statement on Friday, describing the operation as a major breakthrough in the command’s ongoing crackdown on the proliferation of illegal arms and ammunition…

Former Minister of Defence, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, on Saturday met with Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in what was described as a courtesy visit. The meeting, which took place at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, was disclosed in a brief statement by the President’s Special Assistant on Social Media, Dada Olusegun. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu receives in audience, General T.Y. Danjuma on a courtesy visit at the State House, Abuja,” the presidential aide wrote on X. Details of the discussions were not made public as of the time of filing this report. However, the visit comes against…

A female officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has died after she was accidentally run over by an operational vehicle during a “show of force” exercise in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The tragic incident, which occurred on Saturday, was captured in a 58-second video that has since gone viral on social media. The exercise involved the Corps’ Female Strike Force, also known as the Female Squad. In the footage, a black operational van with red wheels bearing the inscription “Female Squad” was seen moving in formation, with another van marked “Female Strike Force FCT Command” trailing…

…Praises FX Stability, Security Gains … Targets APC Governorship Ticket A former senator and daughter of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, has declared that she is prepared to succeed Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2027, insisting she will not step down for any aspirant in the race for the Ogun State governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress. Obasanjo made this known on Saturday during a media parley held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, where she also applauded the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, describing them as critical steps toward stabilising the nation’s economy. The former Ogun…