Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The De Renaissance Patriots Foundation has raised the alarm over what it described as the growing displacement of traditional traders in Lagos, warning that ongoing market redevelopment projects could erode the state’s historic mercantile identity. In a statement titled “Lagos Markets: Between Heritage and Modernity,” issued on Sunday, February 22, 2026, the group called for a more inclusive urban renewal strategy that would protect low-income traders while pursuing infrastructural upgrades. The foundation traced Lagos’ commercial roots to the pre-colonial barter system, noting that the city’s economic life began in open trading squares long before the emergence of modern shopping complexes.…

Allegations of massive payroll fraud in Osun State, amounting to N13.7 billion annually, have thrown the state’s workforce management under intense scrutiny. Salivot Consulting Limited, the audit firm behind the revelation, claimed in an appearance on Politics Tonight (Channels Television) that a 12-month forensic audit uncovered thousands of ghost workers and pensioners on the state payroll. According to the firm’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Sadat Bakrin-Ottun, the audit, reportedly commissioned by the Adeleke-led administration, flagged 8,452 workers and 5,831 pensioners who failed to appear for physical and biometric verification. “The state is losing about N13.7 billion yearly to fraudulent payroll…

The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has announced that more than 69,000 learners nationwide have benefited from its Integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education (IQTE) interventions, aimed at improving non-formal education in high out-of-school children zones. At the flag-off ceremony held yesterday at the UBEC Zonal Office in Kaduna, the Commission launched the distribution of 100,000 school records and instructional materials to IQTE centres across the country. The Deputy Executive Secretary (Technical), Rasaq Olajuwon Akinyemi, explained that the programme targets non-formal learning centres in the North-West, North-East, North-Central, and South-West regions, where the out-of-school population remains high. “The exercise builds on…

Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, has pledged closer collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to strengthen operations at the Dangote Refinery and deliver tangible benefits to Nigerians. Dangote made this disclosure on Saturday while hosting NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, during a tour of the refinery. He said both organisations share a common goal of advancing Nigeria’s energy sector and industrial capacity. “I think the sky is the limit. We [Dangote Refinery and NNPCL] will cooperate and work together to make Nigerians proud,” Dangote said. The billionaire industrialist revealed that discussions are underway…

The Plateau State Police Command has taken Inspector Iliya Dauda, an armourer attached to its Riyom Division, into custody over the disappearance of firearms and ammunition from the station. Sources within the command said  that Dauda, who had earlier been declared at large, was apprehended following a series of internal investigations linking him to the missing weapons. A security analyst, Zagazola Makama, explained that the arrest comes amid growing concerns within state security circles over the loss of police arms, which could compromise operational readiness and public safety. “The detention of the officer is expected to fast-track the recovery of…

Tragedy struck Amaji village in Umuoyoro community, Omuma Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday after a middle-aged man allegedly killed his wife during a disagreement on their farm. The suspect, identified simply as Mr. Alachi, was arrested by operatives of the Eberi Division under the Oyigbo Area Command of the Nigeria Police Force shortly after the incident. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the couple had gone to their farm in Amaji village on February 19, 2026, when a minor argument reportedly ensued between them. Community sources said the disagreement escalated into violence, during which the suspect allegedly used a…

Residents of Ondo State on Saturday grounded vehicular movement along the ever-busy Akure–Owo Expressway, protesting the spate of kidnappings and killings that have turned the corridor into a theatre of fear. The demonstrators stormed sections of the highway in Akure, barricading the road and halting traffic for hours, as they demanded immediate and decisive intervention from security agencies and the state government. A viral video of the protest showed angry youths and residents chanting solidarity songs while vehicles were trapped on both ends of the expressway. According to residents, the protest was triggered by the abduction of a couple on…

The Nigerian military has arrested the wife of a wanted terrorist kingpin and intercepted ₦37 million in cash during coordinated operations across several theatres of operation between February 13 and 19, 2026. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, disclosed this  during a weekly briefing on ongoing military operations nationwide. Wife of wanted kingpin arrested in Benue Onoja said troops of Operation Whirl Stroke arrested Aisha Auta, wife of a notorious wanted terrorist ring leader, during a clearance operation in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State on February 19. According to him, troops acting on credible intelligence…

Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, on Saturday debunked rumours of an alleged plan to impeach his deputy, Olayide Adelami, describing the claims as baseless and politically motivated. The governor declared that Adelami had committed no offence warranting removal from office, insisting that his loyalty to the administration remained “unquestionable.” Aiyedatiwa spoke during the commissioning of the newly constructed Ayegunle–Iwaro Oka Road in Akoko as part of activities marking his first anniversary in office. The rebuttal followed a prophecy by an Ekiti-based cleric, Olumuyiwa Akogun, who reportedly claimed to have foreseen a possible impeachment of the deputy governor. The cleric…

A travel consultant, Waliyu Aderibigbe Shitta, has been arraigned before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, over allegations that he orchestrated a fraudulent marriage to secure a United Kingdom visa for a client without the consent of a UK-based Nigerian whose identity was allegedly used in the process. The prosecuting witness, ASP Monday Onoja, told the court that Mr Shitta and his firm, Fanzine Educational Consult, falsely presented to British authorities that one Dolapo Afusat Yusuf was legally married to Emmanuel Opeyemi Makinde, a Nigerian resident in the UK. Testifying before Justice Ademuyiwa Oyeyipo in suit number CR/215/2025, Onoja…