Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Lagos State House of Assembly has earmarked N55.4 billion in the 2026 budget for the construction of permanent residential quarters for lawmakers and the beautification of its legislative complex, documents obtained by Platform Times have revealed. A breakdown of the budget shows that N35.4 billion is allocated for “construction of Permanent Legislative Quarters for Honourable Members of the Assembly, processing of documents, architectural drawings, structural engineering, soil testing, pile work, and consultancy services.” An additional N20 billion has been set aside for the construction of new fences, drainage channels, covering of gutters with slabs, landscaping, and overall beautification of…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has hosted Hajiya Aisha Buhari, widow of late President Muhammadu Buhari, along with her daughter Hanan and other family members, in Saudi Arabia. The meeting, disclosed by Atiku on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, took place during both families’ pilgrimage to perform the lesser hajj, Umrah. “I was honoured to host Hajiya Aisha Buhari, her daughter Hanan, and other family members during their visit to me in Saudi Arabia,” Atiku wrote, noting that the interaction was centered on religious observance rather than politics. The trip marks Mrs Buhari’s first known visit to…

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has demanded that the Enugu State Chief Judge, Justice Raymond Ozoemena, immediately reassign the appeal of detained Enugu South I State Constituency lawmaker, Bright Ngene, warning that continued inaction will trigger a boycott of the Chief Judge’s court. The NBA, in a statement delivered on Friday by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe (SAN), at the 17th Ralph Opara Memorial Lecture in Enugu, said the appeal has been stalled due to the refusal of three Enugu State High Court judges to hear the matter, citing alleged interference. Ngene, a Labour Party lawmaker, has been described by…

Bayo Ojulari, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has attributed the longstanding dysfunction of Nigeria’s state-owned refineries to an overemphasis on financing and contracting rather than operational management. Speaking at the Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES), Ojulari said decades of focusing on Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contracts and external financing left NNPC ill-prepared to operate the refineries effectively. “The reason our refineries have not worked is that we are focused on the first two: EPC and financing,” Ojulari said. “The EPC contractors do their work, get paid, and move on. The financiers also operate…

The Federal College of Education (FCE), Osiele, Abeokuta, will confer fellowship awards on legendary juju musician and evangelist, Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, and other eminent Nigerians as it marks its 50th anniversary alongside its 26th combined convocation, where 2,361 students will graduate. The Provost, Dr Rafiu  Soyele, disclosed this on Friday during a press briefing, saying the honours are meant to recognise outstanding contributions to education, culture, governance and national development in line with the institution’s teacher-training mandate. Among the awardees are Rt. Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, former Katsina State governor and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund…

The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has suspended its nationwide strike after 84 days of industrial action that paralysed public health services across the country. The decision was taken at the end of an expanded National Executive Council (NEC) emergency meeting held in Abuja on Friday, following a conciliation meeting between the union and the Federal Government at the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Thursday. JOHESU had embarked on the indefinite strike on November 15, 2025, over what it described as the Federal Government’s failure to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), alongside unresolved welfare and systemic…

The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has demanded that a former national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, repay over N150 million in alleged loans and unpaid membership dues, escalating tensions between the ruling party and one of its most prominent defectors. The party, in a statement on Thursday by its chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, said the liabilities were incurred during Oyegun’s years as a member and leader of the APC, including his tenure as pioneer national chairman between 2014 and 2018. Tenebe said the party had made several formal demands for repayment without success, forcing it…

Aisha Waliyullah Residents of over 20 communities in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Friday, appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene urgently over what they described as the forceful takeover of their ancestral farmlands by armed men allegedly acting on the instruction of a private individual, Lukman Akinlade. The communities — including Odo Igbein, Tapala, Igbo-Oya, Laloko, Oruntu, Eriki-Awoke, Eriki-Nla, Jelenke, Kiregun, Beje, Akinlegun, Jekayinfa, Erunbe, Orile-Igbein and Mushin-Ore staged a peaceful protest, accusing the alleged invaders of deploying armed personnel, including police officers, to intimidate residents and seize large swathes of agricultural land. Carrying placards with…

A Federal High Court in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has fixed March 10 to rule on an application by an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and local government aspirant, Gbenga Akinwande, seeking a review of the N6m costs awarded against him in a pre-election suit linked to the 2024 council polls. Akinwande, a UK-based engineer and chairmanship aspirant for Yewa North Local Government Area, on Tuesday dramatically announced his appearance without legal representation, having dropped his lawyers, and personally moved the motion before Justice Abiodun Adeyemi. The suit, marked FHC/AB/CS/144/2024, was filed against the APC, the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission…

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Asokoro, on Thursday threatened to revoke the bail of Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, over repeated delays in his ongoing N738.6 million fraud trial. Justice Abubakar Kutigi expressed frustration at the prolonged proceedings, noting that the trial had been stalled for nearly four years due to what he described as Maina’s “diverse antics.” The judge raised concerns over the defence’s latest request for an adjournment, citing a hospital referral that did not indicate any medical need for Maina’s absence. “I have obtained a commitment from the defence…