Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…Public Debt Surges By N900bn In  2025 ….External Obligations Reach N71.5trn, Domestic Obligations Climb To N81.8trn …Infrastructure Funding Cited As Key Reason Daud Olatunji Nigeria’s total public debt climbed to N153.29 trillion as at September 30, 2025, the Debt Management Office (DMO) has revealed, marking a N900 billion increase from the N152.39 trillion recorded in June. According to a statement posted on its website, the DMO said the country’s debt profile comprises both domestic and external obligations of the federal and subnational governments — the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The report showed that domestic debt…

Thousands of Nigerian Muslims face the risk of missing the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage after Saudi Arabia’s registration portal closed, leaving many unable to submit their details despite Nigeria securing additional pilgrimage slots. The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) disclosed this in a statement on Friday, attributing the setback to the timing of the approval for extra Hajj quotas. NAHCON’s Deputy Director of Information and Publications, Fatima Usara, explained that Saudi authorities initially reduced Nigeria’s Hajj quota from 95,000 to 50,000 pilgrims. However, following diplomatic interventions, the kingdom later approved an increase in allocated slots — but the announcement came…

A High Court in Akwa Ibom State has sentenced Prince Emmanuel Umoh, a pastor of Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel), to death by hanging for the murder of Gabriel Bassey Edward, a final-year Engineering student at the University of Uyo. The court, presided over by Hon. Justice Gabriel Nkanang, delivered the judgment on Thursday, February 19, 2026, almost six years after the gruesome killing. According to court records, Umoh murdered Edward in December 2020 at his residence in Ifa Ikot Ubo-Ifa Ikot Okpon, Uyo. The 23-year-old student, who posthumously graduated with a First-Class degree, had rented part of his home…

Veteran Nollywood actress, Olanrewaju Hassan Adeshina, popularly known as Mama Awero, has declared that acting is not just her career but her life, adding that she cannot envision doing anything else. The 75-year-old thespian, whose career began in 1964 with the Ojo Ladipo Theatre Group, made the revelation in a recent interview . “I will die acting. I have been doing this since 1964 and I don’t know how to do anything else aside from acting,” Mama Awero said. She also disclosed that she has expertise in film costuming, a skill she acquired early in her career from her mentors.…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has launched the eighth phase of its Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Exercise in Katsina State, scrutinising 39 ongoing projects valued at N13.5 billion. The projects span the state’s three senatorial districts and federal constituencies, covering health, education, infrastructure, water supply, and empowerment initiatives. The exercise, which began Monday, aims to ensure accountability, verify compliance with approved specifications, and guarantee value for taxpayers’ money. ICPC teams are working alongside representatives from the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors and media personnel to conduct detailed on-site inspections. According to ICPC Director of…

Former presidential candidate, Remi Sonaiya, has raised serious safety concerns after observing people sleeping on the Lagos–Ibadan rail corridor at Agege station. Sonaiya, who was taking the train to Ibadan for the first time, shared her alarming experience on social media on Thursday. “My excitement was greatly dampened by the sight that greeted passengers as we approached the train — people sleeping on some of the tracks,” she wrote. According to Sonaiya, officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) informed passengers that they were unable to remove the individuals from the tracks. The incident has reignited worries about safety and…

Former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, has revealed the life-threatening measures he and then-Vice President Goodluck Jonathan took to secure the implementation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta militants. In a recent interview, Orubebe recounted the tense moments during the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, when militant attacks in the oil-rich region had intensified, crippling oil production and threatening national security. He said security chiefs initially opposed the plan for Jonathan to visit militant camps, warning of the grave dangers involved. “All the service chiefs shouted, ‘No! The Vice President is not…

Daud Olatunji The Chief Imam of the University of Abuja and Chief Missionary of Dawah Front, Prof. Taofeek AbdulAzeez, on Friday faulted the Federal Government’s policies, saying the prevailing hardship in the country suggests that leaders are governing without the fear of God or a sense of accountability. AbdulAzeez stated this in an exclusive interview with PLATFORM TIMES shortly after the inaugural Jumat prayer at the Qudus Abd Lateef Central Mosque, located at Power Line, Gbokoniyi, Ojere Road, Abeokuta. The Islamic scholar, while congratulating Muslims on witnessing another Ramadan, said the holy month goes beyond abstaining from food and drink,…

The Ogun State Government has begun a comprehensive review of inmates on death row, declaring that while it will tread cautiously on capital punishment, there will be no leniency for convicts involved in ritual killings, kidnapping and sexual offences. The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), disclosed this during an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, on Friday. Ogungbade said the state was carefully scrutinising death penalty cases to determine which sentences must be executed strictly in accordance with court pronouncements, stressing that the irreversible nature of capital punishment demands caution.…

Daud Olatunji Fresh cracks have emerged within the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State following conflicting claims over the conduct of the party’s Ward Congress, with a stakeholders’ forum alleging exclusion and manipulation, while the state chapter insists the exercise was peaceful and credible. In a press release dated February 20, 2026, the Ogun East Stakeholders/Leaders Forum of the APC faulted reports credited to members of the Ward Congress Appeal Committee claiming that no petition was received regarding the conduct of the congress. The forum described the claim as “far from the truth,” alleging that the Appeal Committee only addressed…