Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ikenga Ugochinyere, has urged President Bola Tinubu to dismiss the Minister of Finance, Wale Edu, and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zack Adedeji, over alleged mismanagement of funds owed to local contractors. The lawmaker, representing Ideato Federal Constituency, stormed the Ministry of Finance on Thursday in solidarity with aggrieved contractors, who have occupied the ministry since Tuesday to demand payment of outstanding contracts. Addressing journalists at the protest site, Ugochinyere said the government was already benefiting from the executed projects. “In my constituency, streetlights are functioning, water boreholes…

No fewer than 10,326 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) were recorded across Nigeria between January and September 2025, the Federal Government has revealed. Of this number, 2,444 survivors received care in recovery centres, while 511 benefitted from livelihoods and empowerment support. The disclosure was made at the National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV) held in Abuja on Friday. The event, organised by ActionAid Nigeria and other development partners, formed part of the activities marking the 2025 16 Days of Activism, themed: “UNiTE! End All Forms of Digital Violence against Women and Girls.” The Minister of Women Affairs and…

In a bold move to tackle insecurity, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo of Kogi State has employed 1,050 hunters, established a Forward Operation Base, and absorbed vigilante operatives into the state civil service. The governor announced the initiative on Thursday during a three-day training programme on development and infrastructure growth, aligned with Kogi’s 32-Year Development Plan, in Lokoja. He was represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Mukadam Asiru Asiwaju. Governor Ododo highlighted other achievements in the first two years of his administration, including the revival of the Confluence Rice Mill, which has supported over 7,000 farmers and…

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, has revealed that his administration spent about N100 billion on security interventions across the state in 2025, stressing that safety remains central to development. The governor made the disclosure during a visit to His Highness the Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Mamza, where he condoled with the monarch over recent attacks in the area that claimed several lives. He also commended security agencies and local communities for the successful rescue of 12 abducted female farmers. Zulum said the visit aimed to assess the security situation in the Askira/Uba communities and explore strategies to…

Katsina State Governor, Dr Dikko Radda, on Friday declared that community-initiated peace deals with bandits in the state are already yielding “very positive results,” leading to a sharp decline in attacks, kidnappings and spending on victims’ welfare. Radda stated this during a tour of Batsari and Danmusa Local Government Areas, where he drove through the Danburum Forest — formerly one of the deadliest bandit enclaves in the North-West. The governor said he deliberately passed through the route to personally assess the reported improvement in security. Danburum Forest, once a major hiding spot for armed groups, had recorded hundreds of deaths…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refunded a total of N96.5 million to several victims swindled by a forex-based Ponzi scheme operated in Enugu State. The refund was made at the EFCC’s Enugu Zonal Command, following months of investigation into petitions filed against one Oyubu Akpojewve, also known as Justice Nonso Chima, the Managing Director of Leverage Index Limited. In a statement on Friday, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, said the refund aligns with the commission’s renewed drive to ensure restitution for victims of financial crimes. According to the petition dated September 30, 2024, Akpojewve allegedly marketed fraudulent investment…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has disqualified former Deputy Governor Iyiola Omisore and six other aspirants from contesting in the party’s upcoming Osun State governorship primary. The APC screening committee announced that the disqualified candidates failed to meet the requirement of presenting evidence of sponsorship by at least five fully registered and financially up-to-date party members from each Local Government Area in the state, as mandated by Articles 9.3(i) and 31.2(ii) of the APC Constitution and Paragraph 6(c) of the party’s guidelines. Other aspirants affected by the disqualification include former Deputy Governor Benedict Olugboyega Alabi, Dotun Babayemi, Akin Ogunbiyi, Senator…

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, has urged Nigerians to stop patronising touts and middlemen for passport processing, insisting that the NIS now provides 24-hour, fully digital channels designed to eliminate exploitation and enhance transparency. Nandap gave the warning on Friday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the fourth-quarter Nationwide Sensitisation Campaign against corruption and for improved service delivery. Speaking on the campaign theme, “Innovating for Transparency and Efficiency: Strengthening Service Delivery and Combating Corruption Through Reforms,” the Immigration chief said Nigerians must take advantage of the Service’s modernised systems rather than rely on…

The Federal Government on Friday announced an ambitious plan to revitalise an additional 8,000 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and significantly expand nationwide immunisation coverage under the 2024–2028 Medium-Term Framework. The Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu. Salako said the revitalisation programme aligns with the administration’s push to strengthen social welfare and deepen access to quality healthcare at the grassroots. “Mr President is committed to human capital development as captured in the 2024–2028 MTF. This includes revitalising 8,000 additional…

The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, took a fresh twist on Friday as the Federal High Court in Abuja shifted hearing in the suit filed by the pro-Nyesom Wike faction to January 14, 2026. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned the matter after informing parties that the motion seeking her recusal had not been served on all respondents. The lawsuit seeks to nullify the recent PDP national convention held in Ibadan, which produced Ambassador Umar Damagum and other officers currently laying claim to the party’s national leadership. In a dramatic turn, a faction of the party loyal to former…