Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji  The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has rejected in strong terms the recent circular issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) reviewing allowances for medical and dental officers in the federal public service. The controversial circular, dated June 27, 2025, with reference number SWC/S/04/S.218/III/646, was described by NARD as “obnoxious, preposterous, and a slap in the face of Nigerian doctors” who are already grappling with harsh working conditions and a broken health system. In a statement jointly signed by the association’s President, Dr. Osundara Tope, and Secretary-General, Dr. Odunbaku Kazeem Oluwasola, NARD said the…

As constitutional reform efforts gather momentum, the Senate Committee on Constitution Review (CRC) has announced the receipt of 49 fresh proposals for the creation of new states and local government areas (LGAs) across the country, ahead of its zonal public hearings holding from July 4 to 5. According to a statement issued on Thursday by the media office of the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the committee has received 31 separate proposals for state creation and 18 for new LGAs from diverse ethnic and interest groups across Nigeria. The public hearings, a major phase in the ongoing constitutional amendment process,…

The Nigerian Senate has declared that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan will not be reinstated immediately despite a Federal High Court ruling overturning her six-month suspension, insisting that she must meet certain conditions before returning to the Red Chamber. Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered judgment on Friday in Abuja, ruled that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was excessive and unconstitutional, stressing that the prolonged absence of a senator amounted to denying her constituents the right to representation. The judge, however, also found the lawmaker guilty of contempt over a social media post and imposed a N5 million fine. Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central under the Peoples…

Daud Olatunji The World Bank has issued a stern warning that investors are increasingly pulling back from debt-laden economies like Nigeria, citing unsustainable debt levels and poor growth projections. In a blog post titled “The Looming Global Debt Disaster” released on Friday, the global lender said the escalating debt situation is forcing many developing nations—including Nigeria—to divert scarce resources away from critical sectors such as education, health, and infrastructure to service rising interest obligations. According to the World Bank, total global debt is now nearly 25 per cent higher than it was at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with…

Senator Gbenga Daniel, representing Ogun East and a former governor of Ogun State,  has said the natives of Ogun State have reached an agreement for the creation of a new state from the old Ijebu province to be named Ijebu-Remo. Daniel, who had, in November 2024, sponsored the bill for the establishment of the state from the old Ijebu province, comprising the Remo and Ijebu divisions, said the new name was decided upon at a meeting of the Remo Traditional Council on Thursday. All traditional rulers in Remoland attended. Presenting his address on Friday at the public hearing on the…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has stirred fresh controversy by accusing former Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi’s wife, Judith, of benefiting from a questionable NDDC contract worth N4 billion monthly and calling on President Bola Tinubu to make public the long-suppressed forensic audit report of the commission. Wike, who made the explosive allegations during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, said the NDDC audit, commissioned under former President Muhammadu Buhari, contains damning revelations linking a company allegedly owned by Judith Amaechi to an annual payout of N48 billion under the guise of training…

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has declared that no system disturbance or national grid collapse occurred in the first quarter of 2025, despite persistent fluctuations in grid frequency and voltage levels. In its newly released Q1 2025 report, the commission stated emphatically, “There was no incidence of system disturbance on the National Grid in 2025/Q1.” The statement comes amid continued concerns over grid reliability and contradicts earlier reports by electricity distribution companies alleging a nationwide outage on February 12. While the commission maintained that the grid remained operational throughout the period, it admitted that critical system parameters consistently operated…

An Anambra State court has remanded a 72-year-old medical doctor and two women for allegedly abducting and trafficking a seven-year-old boy, in what authorities describe as a deeply disturbing case of child theft and illegal sale. The defendants, identified as Dr. Daniel Ikebuilo, aged 72; Ifunanya Ogbonna, 23; and Chidiogo Ogbonna, 20, were arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Offences Court sitting in Awka on Thursday. They pleaded not guilty to a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, child stealing, and unlawful sale of a minor. Presiding Chief Magistrate, Mrs. U.E. Onochie, ordered that the accused be remanded at…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has declared his readiness to resign from office if his claims against former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as contained in the forensic audit report of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), are proven to be false. Wike, who made the bold statement during an interview on a private Television on Friday, alleged that the audit report exposed deep-rooted corruption involving top allies of Amaechi during his tenure as Rivers State governor. “I will resign as minister of the FCT if it is a lie that the forensic report of…

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched a manhunt for a Nigerian man based in Lagos, Ehiremen Aigbokhan, over his alleged involvement in a sophisticated cryptocurrency fraud scheme that siphoned over $250,000 (approximately ₦460 million) from a donor supporting former U.S. President Donald Trump’s 2025 inauguration campaign. The FBI, in a civil forfeiture complaint filed before a U.S. District Court, detailed how Aigbokhan and his accomplices orchestrated a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam that successfully mimicked the official communication of the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. The perpetrators reportedly created a fake domain — @t47lnaugural.com — that closely resembled…