Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, has called on Muslims across Nigeria to embrace unity, knowledge-driven faith, and active moral engagement in leadership. He said this  during the Da’wah Day 2025 organized by the Da’wah Front of Nigeria (DFN) at the Abeokuta Camp Ground. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Baba Adinni of Ogun State and Yorubaland, Edo, and Delta States, served as the Special Guest of Honour at the annual event, which drew over 5,000 participants, including scholars, politicians, entrepreneurs, and captains of industry. Ambassador Isola, who received a standing ovation after…

Mrs. Funmi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and founder of Women Empowerment and Legal Aid (WELA), has attributed Nigeria’s prolonged leadership and security challenges to decades of male-dominated governance, calling for greater inclusion of women in public office as a remedy for the nation’s crises. Mrs. Falana made the remarks on Sunday during her annual Christmas visit to the Erelu Angela Adebayo Children’s Home in Iyin Ekiti, describing the marginalisation of women in governance as a key factor behind the country’s “shameful and embarrassing state.” “Nigeria has continued to have male presidents, and they have continued to fail Nigerians,”…

Supporters of Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State and national leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), under the umbrella of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, have reportedly urged their leader and Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to lead them into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The call came during a meeting of party leaders, councillors, and key stakeholders in Rogo Local Government Area, chaired by Jibril Falgore, Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly. Abdullahi Rogo, Director-General of the Protocol Directorate at the Kano State Government House, spoke on behalf of the movement. In a video…

Tragedy struck during a wedding celebration in Gombe State on Boxing Day as a 19-year-old hunter, identified as Tanko Abubakar, lost his life following an accidental discharge from his locally made firearm. The incident occurred around 5pm at a wedding venue in the Alkahira Quarters area of Gombe metropolis, where Abubakar had joined friends and relatives to celebrate. Witnesses said the teenager attempted to fire a celebratory shot into the air with a loaded Dane gun when the weapon suddenly malfunctioned. A counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, who first shared details of the incident on social media, disclosed that the gun…

No fewer than 34 lawyers seeking appointment as judges of the Federal High Court have been disqualified after failing a rigorous integrity screening introduced by the National Judicial Council. The affected lawyers were among 62 candidates who initially scaled the Computer-Based Test conducted by the Federal High Court and were subsequently nominated for further consideration. However, only 28 applicants have now been cleared to proceed to the interview stage following adverse findings arising from petitions submitted by members of the public. The integrity screening is part of new guidelines approved by the NJC under the leadership of the Chief Justice…

… Accuses Politicians Of Plotting To Grab  N600bn Post-Emergency Funds Daud Olatunji  The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has warned Governor Siminalayi Fubara that open support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not guarantee a return ticket in the 2027 governorship election, even as he alleged that desperate politicians are scheming to corner the N600bn reportedly left in Rivers State coffers after the lifting of emergency rule. Wike issued the twin warnings at separate engagements in Rivers State over the weekend, in remarks that further underscored the deepening political crisis and power…

By Solanke Ayomideji Taiwo The persistent blockage of tarred roads for parties, carnivals, and social gatherings in Abeokuta South Local Government has once again brought to the fore a troubling reality: a breakdown of local governance and a growing culture of lawlessness among residents. Across many communities in Abeokuta South, residents now see it as normal practice to barricade major roads whenever they are celebrating weddings, funerals, birthdays, or cultural events. Streets meant for free movement suddenly become dance floors, complete with canopies, loud music, parked vehicles, and crowds. This dangerous trend has thrived largely because residents believe—often correctly—that no…

The combined domestic debt of Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory rose by N94.79bn within three months, climbing from N3.87tn in the first quarter of 2025 to N3.96tn in the second quarter, latest figures from the Debt Management Office have shown. The increase represents a 2.45 per cent rise quarter-on-quarter, although the states’ total domestic debt was still 7.1 per cent lower than the N4.27tn recorded in the corresponding period of 2024. An analysis of sub-national debt profiles released by the DMO indicated that the overall debt burden of states has followed a largely downward trajectory since 2023,…

A pastor of the Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, has been abducted by suspected bandits while travelling to his farm in Okoro Gbedde, Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the cleric was kidnapped on Saturday along the Okeoffin–Okoro Gbedde axis while riding on a commercial motorcycle to his farmland. Eyewitnesses said the pastor and the commercial rider were suddenly intercepted by armed men suspected to be bandits during the journey. A source familiar with the incident disclosed that on sighting the assailants, the pastor reportedly jumped off the motorcycle in an attempt…

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has firmly dismissed reports claiming that he has withdrawn from the 2027 presidential race in favour of former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, describing the claims as false and misleading. Atiku, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, was alleged in some online reports to have stepped aside for Obi, the Labour Party’s flagbearer in the last election, as part of a purported agreement to support a one-term presidency in the interest of regional balance. However, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Mr Paul Ibe, debunked the report, saying it did…