Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Fawaz Adebisi, Aishah Waliyullah, Zainab Abioye, Fareedah Ogundairo, Uthman Ogunfolaji,& Grace Adeleke Ogun State celebrates its Golden Jubilee on Tuesday, marking precisely 50 years since its creation on February 3, 1976, from the former Western State under General Murtala Muhammed’s administration. With the state’s administrative structure evolving from seven initial local government areas (LGAs) in 1976 to the current stable 20 LGAs by 1996, following reforms under military regimes (Babangida in 1991 and Abacha in 1996), its leadership framework underpinned steady sectoral growth across civilian administrations. … Education Sector Under Five Govs PLATFORM TIMES reports that Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, 1979–1983,…

The Ogun State Police Command has invited some kingmakers involved in the ongoing Awujale of Ijebuland succession process over allegations of bribery and financial inducement, in a development that has further heightened tension around the highly sensitive royal transition. PLATFORM TIMES learnt that the invitation was issued through the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta, as part of a fact-finding probe into claims that certain individuals attempted to influence the selection process through monetary and material inducements. A police invitation letter dated February 3, 2026, and signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCID, DCP Gbenga…

The Osun State chapter of the Traditional Religion Worshippers Association has formally appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the August 8, 2026 governorship election, citing security and logistical concerns arising from the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival. In a letter dated January 20, 2026 and addressed to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the association’s president, Dr. Oluseyi Atanda, warned that the coincidence of the election with the climax of the globally acclaimed festival could overstretch security agencies and disrupt electoral operations. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the grand finale of the 2026 Osun-Osogbo Festival is scheduled for Friday, August…

… 24% Of Minors Drink Alcohol Daily, Nationwide Survey Reveals … Agency Blames Sachets, Small Bottles For Easy Youth Access …54% Of Minors Purchase Drinks Themselves, NAFDAC Reports Daud Olatunji Rivers and Lagos states have emerged as Nigeria’s hotspots for underage alcohol consumption, particularly drinks sold in sachets and small plastic bottles, a nationwide survey by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has revealed. The findings, released on Tuesday, showed that more than half of Nigerian minors and underage youths now buy alcohol for themselves, raising fresh concerns about a growing public health crisis and…

A Nigeria Customs Service officer attached to the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, was killed on Tuesday in a shootout with suspected smugglers in Ogun State, barely 48 hours after another ambush left two officers wounded in the same axis. The Comptroller of FOU Zone A, Gambo Aliyu, confirmed the incident, describing the fallen officer as one of the unit’s “promising personnel” who paid the ultimate price while on national duty. Aliyu said the officer was attacked during an operation against smuggling syndicates, noting that the killing had been formally reported to the Customs high command. “The Command on…

The World Health Organisation and its cancer research arm, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, have revealed that about 40 per cent of cancer cases recorded worldwide could be prevented through effective public health measures and lifestyle changes. The findings, released ahead of World Cancer Day on February 4, showed that an estimated 37 per cent of all new cancer cases in 2022 — about 7.1 million cases — were linked to avoidable risk factors, highlighting what the agencies described as the “enormous and underused power of prevention” in tackling the global cancer burden. Drawing data from 185 countries…

The management and staff of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its training arm, the Peoples Democratic Institute (PDI), have rejected a recent judgment of the Federal High Court in Ibadan on the party’s leadership crisis, insisting that the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee (NWC) remains the only legitimate leadership of the party. In a statement issued on Monday, the workers said the ruling was inconsistent with settled Supreme Court authorities on the internal affairs of political parties, stressing that the Turaki-led NWC was duly elected at the PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November…

The political rivalry between Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, intensified on Tuesday as both camps exchanged sharp words over control of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state. Makinde had earlier taken a swipe at Wike while inaugurating a new PDP secretariat in Ibadan, accusing members of a rival faction loyal to the minister of being “vagabonds” and insisting that the party in Oyo remained united under his leadership. Speaking in Yoruba, the governor said peaceful political environments only become troubled when “vagabonds” emerge, adding that such elements had already…

The National Examinations Council has released the results of the 2025 External Senior School Certificate Examination, with 68,166 candidates securing at least five credits including English Language and Mathematics. The Registrar of NECO, Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, announced this on Monday at the council’s headquarters in Minna, Niger State. Out of the 96,979 candidates who registered for the examination across 16 subjects nationwide, 95,160 eventually sat for the papers. The candidates comprised 51,823 males (53.43 per cent) and 45,156 females (46.56 per cent). A breakdown of the results showed strong performance in the core subjects. According to Wushishi, 93,425 candidates…

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced plans to deport at least 79 Nigerians, describing them as among the “worst of the worst” criminal aliens currently in the country. According to information published on the DHS website on Tuesday, the affected Nigerians were convicted of offences ranging from fraud, drug trafficking and assault to robbery and manslaughter. The arrests were carried out under an intensified nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigrants with criminal records. In a statement, DHS said the operation was being driven by the administration’s renewed immigration enforcement agenda. “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is…