Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Ogun State Police Command has commenced an investigation into a viral video showing controversial Nigerian singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, allegedly being assaulted while in police custody. The footage, which surfaced on social media on Saturday and spread rapidly across X and other platforms, shows the Zazu crooner handcuffed, shirtless and visibly distressed, while seated in what appears to be a police holding area. In the video, the singer is seen pleading tearfully as voices believed to be those of police officers are heard in the background. The video has triggered widespread outrage, with Nigerians raising fresh…

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has announced plans to disburse N24.3 billion as a second tranche of liquidation dividends to depositors of the defunct Heritage Bank whose account balances exceeded the insured limit of N5 million. The payment follows the revocation of Heritage Bank’s operating licence by the Central Bank of Nigeria on June 3, 2024, a move that threw thousands of depositors and shareholders into uncertainty over the recovery of their funds. In a statement issued on Sunday, the NDIC’s Head of Communication and Public Affairs, Hawwau Gambo, said the latest payment was part of ongoing efforts to settle…

Tension has rocked the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State following allegations that a senior aide to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa violently assaulted a ward chairman during a dispute over the sharing of N1 million allegedly released for party structures. The Forum of APC Ward Chairmen in Akure South on Sunday accused the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement (Central), Oluwafemi Fadairo, popularly known as Fada, of leading thugs to attack the Chairman of APC Ward 8, Oluwadare Olanrewaju, leaving him unconscious and hospitalised. The forum claimed that the incident occurred after Governor…

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress and ex-Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has returned to Nigeria after weeks in Dubai, amid heightened political manoeuvrings over the reported plan by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to defect to the APC. Ganduje arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Saturday at about 4:30pm aboard an Emirates Airline flight and was expected to proceed to Abuja later in the evening. Although no official link was established, political observers believe Ganduje’s return is connected to ongoing efforts to fine-tune arrangements for the anticipated defection of Governor Yusuf, currently…

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Sunday broke his silence on the deepening political crisis in the state, declaring that he remains unperturbed by ongoing impeachment threats because his confidence is rooted in faith, not noise. Fubara, who spoke during an interdenominational church service marking the 2026 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at St. Cyprian’s Anglican Church, Port Harcourt, took a veiled swipe at his political adversaries, widely believed to be loyal to his estranged predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Recalling remarks he made at a New Year dinner, the governor said, “Dogs bark when they don’t understand,” a comment that drew murmurs…

The Lagos State Government has ordered an investigation into the death of 21-month-old Nkanu Nnamdi, son of acclaimed writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, following allegations of medical negligence against a private hospital in Victoria Island. The directive was given by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu through the Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) after the author publicly accused Euracare Multispecialist Hospital of serious medical lapses during a procedure that reportedly led to her son’s death on January 6. The Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, noting that the state government had been…

Ayomipo Olowu Succession choice for the vacant Awujale stool, has birthed a growing strand of public discourse which frames the traditional institution not only as a custodian of culture, but as a potential driver of economic relevance for Ijebu Land. Within this context, attention has turned to royal sons whose exposure to global economic systems could strengthen Ijebu Land’s engagement with investment, policy, and development planning. Among those quietly drawing interest is Prince Oladapo Oluwatosin Ayodele Osunsanya of the Tunwase–Oduba royal family, whose professional career on Wall Street intersects with deep royal lineage. Prince Osunsanya hails from the Fusenguwa ruling…

…FG Approves 40% Pay Rise …Funding, Laboratories, Staff Development Revamped Daud Olatunji In a historic move set to transform Nigeria’s public university system, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are scheduled to sign a landmark agreement on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, in Abuja. The ceremony, slated for 11 a.m., will mark the formal conclusion of over 16 years of protracted negotiations and recurring industrial actions. The accord, confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Education, guarantees a 40 per cent salary increase for university lecturers and introduces improved pension benefits, including full-salary retirement for professors at…

Nurses at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, Ogun State, have kicked against what they described as the humiliation of being forced to clean hospital floors and dispose of waste following an industrial action by hospital cleaners. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the development occurred in one of the hospital’s units after cleaners embarked on a strike, leaving the facility without sanitation staff. In response, nurses were allegedly directed by management, through an acting unit supervisor, to take over cleaning duties, including mopping floors and emptying waste bins. The incident has reignited long-standing concerns over the routine assignment of…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission over its alleged failure to properly account for N55.9 billion earmarked for the procurement of election materials for the 2019 general elections. The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/38/2026, was filed last Friday before the Federal High Court in Abuja. In a statement on Sunday by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said the disputed funds were meant for the purchase of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other critical materials used for the conduct of the 2019 polls. The rights group said its action was based on…