Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday opened its case against a former Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, as a prosecution witness narrated alleged contract irregularities in the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund under his supervision. Ngige, who served as minister between November 11, 2015, and May 29, 2023, is facing an eight-count charge bordering on abuse of office, acceptance of gratification and contract fraud amounting to over N2.2bn. He was arraigned on December 12, 2025, before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Gwarinpa. At the resumed hearing, the EFCC called its…

Amnesty International Nigeria has raised the alarm over the persistent spate of mob killings across the country, blaming the trend on weak law enforcement, a dysfunctional justice system and deepening public mistrust in state institutions. The rights group made the call on Wednesday in Kano during a town hall meeting organised as part of its nationwide #JusticeNotJungle campaign, aimed at ending jungle justice and promoting lawful responses to crime and allegations. Speaking at the event, the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, lamented that innocent Nigerians continued to lose their lives after being accused—often without evidence—of offences such…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the death of renowned business mogul and industrialist, Otunba Adekunle Ojora, as painful, saying his passing has left a vacuum in his family and the country that would be difficult to fill. In a tribute released on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo eulogised the late Ojora as an “amiable and notable Nigerian” whose life was defined by integrity, wisdom and uncommon dedication to national development. He said Nigeria had lost a frontline indigenous industrialist and a distinguished captain of industry and commerce, noting that Ojora’s legacy would endure through…

Babcock University has intensified its collaboration with key professional and media institutions as part of efforts to enhance the employability and global competitiveness of its graduates. The President/Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Afolarin Ojewole, disclosed this during courtesy visits to Lagos Television and the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, where he said the initiative was aimed at aligning academic training with evolving industry needs. Ojewole said sustained partnership between universities and industry players remained critical to preparing students for real-world challenges, stressing that graduates must be equipped not only with academic knowledge but also with practical skills and…

Nigeria must institutionalise long-term, dedicated healthcare financing to sustain the country’s emerging healthcare industrial boom and secure its ambition of becoming a regional manufacturing hub, a Professor of Pharmacy, Lere Baale, has said. Baale spoke at the Codix Group Dinner in Lagos on Sunday, themed ‘Sustaining Nigeria’s Healthcare Industrial Boom: The Need for Dedicated Healthcare Funding’, where he described Nigeria’s current healthcare transformation as historic but fragile, warning that without deliberate financial architecture, recent gains could stall. He said the country was witnessing a quiet but profound shift from dependence on imports to local value creation, with indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturers…

Ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State, a coalition of professionals from Ogun West Senatorial District has announced plans to convene a high-level media chat aimed at forging unity among political stakeholders and rallying support for a credible candidate from the zone. The event, scheduled for Sunday, February 1, 2026, at Frontiers Hotel, Ilaro, is being organised by Ogun West Professionals and is expected to attract over 2,000 participants, including traditional rulers, community leaders, media executives and political stakeholders across the state. Senate Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, is billed as the guest…

Zainab Abioye Former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu rebuffed Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over political support ahead of the 2027 general elections during a meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. In a statement personally signed by him on Tuesday and titled, “Untold story of what happened in the Villa during Governor Makinde’s visit to the President today,” Fayose claimed that Makinde lacked the courage to meet the President alone, prompting him to enlist the support of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang. Fayose alleged that the meeting, which he described as politically charged,…

Grace Adeleye The Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has reaffirmed its commitment to market stability and uninterrupted nationwide supply of Premium Motor Spirit, assuring Nigerians of continued energy security despite recent price adjustments. The refinery said it had implemented a deliberate and temporary price support intervention during the recent festive season to cushion the impact of heightened household spending, marking the second consecutive festive period it absorbed significant costs in the national interest. In a statement sent to PLATFORM TIMES on Wednesday, the company noted that it provided logistics support in 2024 and effected a price reduction in 2025 to…

… Domestic, Intimate Attacks Dominate Cases • Activists Push For Femicide Law, Tracking System Daud Olatunji No fewer than 197 Nigerian women and girls were killed in suspected gender-related attacks between January and December 2025, marking a disturbing rise in femicide cases across the country, a new report by the DOHS Cares Foundation has revealed. The figure represents a sharp increase from the 133 deaths recorded in 2024, underscoring what the organisation described as a worsening national crisis driven by weak accountability, silence, and systemic failures in protecting women and girls. According to data published on the foundation’s Femicide Tracker…

The Defence Headquarters has dismissed viral social media claims that Nigerian soldiers wounded in action are abandoned to their fate, describing the allegations as misleading and unfair. In a statement on Tuesday, the Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, said the welfare of injured personnel remained a “top moral priority” of the Armed Forces, contrary to a video circulating online suggesting institutional indifference. Uba said all personnel wounded during operations were entitled to comprehensive medical care in line with established military policies, noting that treatment is provided either within Nigeria or abroad depending on the severity of injuries.…