Author: Platform Times Newspaper

… Pictorial Warnings Push Quit-Attempt Rate From 26% To 43% … BATN Fined $110m For Repeated Violations Under WHO FCTC Daud Olatunji  Nigeria has reported major progress in its fight against tobacco consumption, enforcement and industry accountability, unveiling new data that shows a significant drop in smoking rates and stronger national action against violators of tobacco control laws. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, announced the breakthroughs on Monday while presenting Nigeria’s progress report at the Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO…

Millions of Nigerians will enjoy major relief from routine bank deductions as the Federal Government has approved the abolition of five widely applied bank charges, effective January 2026. The removal of the charges forms part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s sweeping fiscal reforms signed into law on June 26, 2025. The overhaul — anchored on four new legislations: the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), Nigeria Revenue Service Act (NRSA) and Joint Revenue Board Act (JRBA) — aims to ease doing business, grow the economy and reduce financial pressure on households and small enterprises. Chairman of the…

The Lagos State House of Assembly has formally acknowledged an executive communication from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu seeking a date to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which proposes a staggering ₦4.237 trillion budget for the fiscal year. The letter, read at plenary by the Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, signalled the commencement of legislative work on what will become the state’s next financial plan. A lawmaker who reviewed the proposal described it as “a defining budget for Lagos’ infrastructure and social expansion,” adding that the Assembly would “scrutinise every detail to ensure value for Lagosians.” In a separate development,…

The federal government has vowed to swiftly rescue 25 schoolgirls abducted from Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. Information Minister Mohammed Idris, in a statement on Monday, condemned the “reprehensible attack on innocent students and the killing of school officials who were carrying out their noble duty.” Police said the terrorists, locally referred to as bandits, struck the school around 4 a.m., killing one staff member and abducting 25 students. “Our security and intelligence agencies have been issued clear directives to locate, rescue, and safely return the students, and to ensure that…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday warned that Nigeria’s democracy faces a grave threat if corruption and indiscipline are allowed to fester within the judiciary. Speaking at the opening of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference of the Superior Courts in Abuja, Tinubu said the integrity of judges remains the nation’s last line of defence against tyranny, instability and loss of public trust. “History has shown that whenever Nigeria faced moments of uncertainty, the judiciary stood firm as the stabilising force of our national life,” the president said. “It is through the courage of judges and their pronouncements that tyranny…

Daud Olatunji The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday sentenced the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, to five years imprisonment after finding him guilty of sexually harassing his female students. Justice James Omotosho convicted Ndifon on two out of the four-count charges filed against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The court handed him two years on the first count and five years on the second, but ordered that the sentences run concurrently. The judgment brings to an end a long-drawn case that had triggered…

A top Nigerian Army officer, Brigadier General M. Uba, has been killed by fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) after the terrorists allegedly intercepted and tracked his live location along the Damboa–Biu axis of Borno State, multiple military sources confirmed on Sunday. The senior officer, who commanded the 25 Task Force Brigade in Damboa, was abducted late Friday during a violent ambush that also claimed the lives of soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force. He was later executed after a brief interrogation in captivity. It was gathered that the attack occurred shortly after General…

Panic broke out on Monday in the Agbowa area of Lagos State after a man suspected to be mentally unstable snatched an AK-47 rifle from a soldier at a military checkpoint and shot him dead. The shocking incident occurred at the Adeogun Bridge axis along the Ikorodu expressway, causing commuters and residents to flee in fear as soldiers scrambled to restore order. It was  gathered from security sources that the attacker, described as “a mentally deranged man,” had wandered close to the checkpoint before suddenly lunging at the unsuspecting soldier. “A mentally unstable man snatched a soldier’s rifle and shot…

The Executive Chairman of Obafemi Owode Local Government, Amb. Adesina ‘Lanre Ogunsola, has listed key achievements recorded in his first year in office, declaring that his administration has delivered “equitable dividends of democracy” across the council area. Speaking during a media chat to commemorate his one-year stewardship, Ogunsola expressed satisfaction with what he described as the “steady and measurable progress” made under his leadership. He highlighted major interventions in education, infrastructure, health and rural development, saying, “We promised purposeful governance, and in one year, we have worked across sectors, wards and communities to justify the trust of our people.” Ogunsola…

The Federal Government has commenced a nationwide diabetes screening and training programme, beginning with the deployment of over 77,000 locally manufactured glucose monitoring devices to primary healthcare centres and diagnosed patients across the country. The large-scale initiative, flagged off this week in the North-Central region, aims to screen five million Nigerians in all 774 Local Government Areas, as part of efforts to curb the growing burden of diabetes and strengthen early detection. The exercise follows the government’s procurement of Nigeria-made OnPoint Blood Glucose Monitoring Systems, produced by Colexa Biosensor Ltd at its Lagos facility. Speaking at the launch, the National…