Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The federal government has earmarked N1.096 trillion for capital projects in the 2026 budget, with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) receiving the highest allocation of N502.21 billion According to the proposed budget, the Federal Ministry of Power, led by Chief Adebayo Adelabu, will get N416.748 billion for capital projects. Recurrent expenditures were projected at N10.379 billion, including personnel costs of N6.168 billion and overheads of N4.211 billion, bringing the total ministry allocation to N1.107 trillion. The ministry plans to spend N987.932 million on providing basic amenities for communities affected by projects across 38 resettlement sites, covering schools, solar-powered boreholes, roads,…

…Over 21,000 Asylum Seekers Remain Unregistered Amid Cameroonian influx … Delays Leave Children, Women Vulnerable In Host Communities At least 21,807 refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence in neighbouring countries remain unregistered in Nigeria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has revealed. The backlog leaves thousands without access to food, healthcare, and other essential services, UN data shows. The November 2025 UNHCR dashboard, obtained by  The Punch, indicates that the majority of the unregistered refugees are Cameroonians fleeing the eight-year-old Anglophone crisis in North-West and South-West Cameroon. Nigeria currently hosts 127,000 refugees and asylum seekers from 41 countries,…

The Osun State Government has dragged United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and four of its top executives to court over alleged illegal opening of local government accounts. The case, filed at the Chief Magistrate Court, Osogbo, is slated for hearing on January 30, 2026. The suit, marked Charge No: MOS/601c/2025, names UBA, its Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba, the Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Billy Odum, and Deputy Managing Director, Chukwuma Nweke, as defendants. According to the 31-count charge, each count pertains to alleged infractions involving accounts for the state’s 30 local government councils. The prosecution alleges that…

No fewer than three bank mergers are expected to materialise in the coming weeks as Nigerian lenders race to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) new minimum capital requirements ahead of the March 31, 2026 recapitalisation deadline. This projection was contained in the 2026 Banking Sector Prospects in Nigeria report released by DataPro, a credit rating and financial analytics firm, which warned that mounting regulatory pressure could accelerate consolidation among smaller lenders. The report noted that by the end of 2025, most tier-1 banks had already surpassed the new capital threshold set by the apex bank, while several others…

Sixty-two former employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria have asked the National Industrial Court of Nigeria sitting in Abuja to dismiss an application by the apex bank seeking to change the procedure of their suit challenging the termination of their appointments. The ex-workers, who were disengaged between February and May 2024, opposed a motion filed by the CBN requesting the court to convert their originating summons to a writ of summons, a move they described as premature and legally untenable. The application, argued by the CBN’s counsel, Mr Wilson Inam, SAN, urged Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae to order a procedural…

A fresh controversy has erupted in Oyo State following a public encounter between the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, at an interfaith event in Ibadan, reigniting age-long tensions over status and supremacy among Yoruba traditional institutions. The incident occurred on Monday at the 2026 Interfaith Gathering held at the Grand Space, near the Oyo State House of Assembly, and has since sparked intense debate after a video of the moment went viral on social media. In the footage, Oba Ladoja is seen approaching his seat beside the Alaafin, who had arrived…

A judge of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Apo, Abuja, Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie, on Monday sternly warned an Abuja-based lawyer, Victor Giwa, standing trial over alleged forgery and impersonation, against seeking any private meeting with him outside open court. The warning followed a tense courtroom exchange that stalled proceedings in the ongoing trial of Giwa and his co-defendant, Ibitade Bukola, over allegations of forging official documents and impersonating a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Awa Kalu, with the aim of misleading the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation into withdrawing an earlier criminal charge against Giwa. The case, slated…

No fewer than 12 persons, including a councillor and a traditional ruler, have been killed in a fresh outbreak of communal violence in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State, deepening fears over the resurgence of deadly farmer-herder conflicts in the region. Among the victims were the councillor representing Akete Ward, Hon. Vaatyough Waakaa, and the village head of Mbaiyoon, who were killed when armed assailants invaded Tiv farming communities in the area. The attack occurred late on Tuesday night, January 6, 2026, at Tor-Damsa village in Akete ward, where residents said heavily armed militias, suspected to be Fulani herders,…

The Edo State Police Command has arrested a woman, Martina Dachung, for allegedly selling her newborn baby boy for the sum of N1.4 million in Uromi, Edo Central Senatorial District. The police said two other suspects, including a nurse, were also arrested in connection with the alleged illegal baby trafficking deal. The Command’s spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday, stating that the arrest followed a report by a resident, Ebhomien Matthew Asibor. According to the police, Asibor alerted the command after he became aware of a suspected trafficking arrangement involving a…

Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has cautioned the African Democratic Congress (ADC) against sidelining former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, in the build-up to the 2027 general election, warning that the party could slide into political obscurity if it fails to present him as its presidential candidate. Fayose, who spoke during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, described Obi as the single most important political asset within the ADC, arguing that no other figure in the party currently possesses the capacity to attract widespread national support. According to the former governor, Obi’s political appeal goes beyond party structures,…