Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed a total of N1.65 trillion to the three tiers of government—federal, state, and local—in May 2025, a slight decrease from the N1.68 trillion shared in April. This was disclosed in a communique issued at the end of FAAC’s June meeting, chaired by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun. The meeting, held in Abuja, was confirmed through a statement signed by Mohammed Manga, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Finance. The N1.65 trillion was drawn from a gross revenue of N2.94 trillion,…

… Says Ojukwu’s Insistence On Govs To Control Military Zones, Caused Aburi Accord Collapse Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd.), has declared that Nigeria, despite its current challenges, is in a much better state than it was during the civil war which ravaged the country over five decades ago. Speaking in an exclusive interview with ARISE News on Wednesday, Gowon maintained that the progress recorded across various sectors since the 1967–1970 conflict is evidence that the nation has continued to survive and grow. “Well, thriving… isn’t Nigeria thriving today? Have we not gone beyond what we were 55…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a former Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Moses Thomas Sule, along with 14 former lawmakers over allegations of money laundering and abuse of office. The anti-graft agency said the arrest followed a series of petitions by concerned citizens, accusing the ex-lawmakers of violating the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, as well as flouting procurement laws during their brief six-month tenure. A statement released by the EFCC on its official social media platforms revealed that the state government had procured luxury vehicles worth N2.5 billion for the…

No fewer than 38 inmates, including those on death row, have graduated from the West African College for Christian Missions with degrees in Theology and Missions. The graduation ceremony, held on Wednesday within the walls of the Ibara Correctional Centre in Abeokuta, saw 32 male and six female inmates awarded Bachelor of Arts in Theology and Diplomas in Missions after successfully completing a rigorous four-year academic programme. The event marked a significant milestone for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), showcasing its commitment to rehabilitation through education. Representing the Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester Nwakuche, the Ogun State Controller of Corrections,…

… Hands Over Seized Arms, Cannabis Sativa To Police, NDLEA  Feyisayo Ogunbiyi  The Ogun Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has issued a stern warning to smugglers operating along the Idi-Iroko border, as it recorded a remarkable revenue increase from N10.6 million in April to over N42 million in May 2025. This was disclosed on Thursday by the new Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Godwin Otunla, during his first press briefing since assuming office. Otunla attributed the sharp rise in revenue to a renewed commitment to enforcement and strategic realignment under his leadership. “Prior to my assumption of duty…

The Ogun State Government, in partnership with the Society for Family Health (SFH), has intensified advocacy for the adoption of family planning among women of reproductive age to reduce maternal mortality and promote child spacing. This call was made during the bi-annual review meeting of the Delivering Innovation in Self-Care (DISC 2.0) project held in Abeokuta, the state capital. The meeting brought together key stakeholders including health secretaries, reproductive health officers, health education officers, and monitoring and evaluation experts. Executive Secretary of the Ogun State Primary Health Care Development Board, Dr Elijah Ogunsola, revealed that the government had sustained the…

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has fired back at the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) over allegations of undue dominance by medical doctors in the nation’s health and education sectors, describing the claims as “unsavoury blackmail” and “emotional rhetoric.” NARD, in a statement jointly signed by its President, Dr. Osundara Tope, and Secretary-General, Dr. Odunbaku Kazeem Oluwasola, called on the pharmacists’ body to cease what it termed a campaign of “blackmail” and instead focus on meaningful contributions to patient care and health system improvement. The doctors’ response followed an open letter issued by the ACPN on…

By Ibraheem Shitta In a world divided by bombs and boundaries, one question pierces through the double-speak of global diplomacy: If some nations can have nuclear weapons, why not all, including those in Africa? It’s a question that exposes the deep fault lines of international power dynamics, where some countries hoard unimaginable destructive power, while others are threatened, sanctioned, or invaded for even thinking about it.Iran knows this story well. Accused of nuclear ambition, it remains without a single warhead, yet remains under intense scrutiny and pressure from nations that stockpile thousands. At the heart of the debate lies…

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has raised the alarm over the persistent threats to Nigeria’s internal security, blaming the nation’s porous borders and the chronic underfunding of the police for the country’s fragile safety architecture. Speaking on Tuesday, Tunji-Ojo expressed deep concern over the insufficient budgetary allocation to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), which he said is responsible for guarding the country’s expansive 4,024km borders with just N10 billion. “Are we joking?” the minister asked rhetorically. “You want to protect over 4,000 square kilometres of border with N10 billion? If you kill one terrorist and the border remains porous,…

… 143 dead as fatality rate jumps to 18.9% across 18 states Nigeria has recorded a higher case fatality rate from Lassa fever infections in 2025 than in the same period last year, according to the latest data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). As of epidemiological week 23, a total of 143 deaths had been reported nationwide, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 18.9 per cent—surpassing the 17.8 per cent recorded during the same period in 2024. The NCDC’s situation report indicated that 18 states across 96 Local Government Areas have confirmed…