Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has warned that the recently approved ₦70,000 national minimum wage has already been eroded by inflation and soaring living costs, insisting that Nigerian workers can no longer survive on it. The demand comes barely a year after President Bola Tinubu signed the new wage law in July 2024, which raised the statutory base pay from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 for workers across the federal, state, and private sectors. But according to the NLC, the relentless increase in food prices, transportation costs, rent, and electricity tariffs has rendered the new wage “grossly inadequate.” Speaking in an interview…

Olagoke Adams, Muraina Lateef, Adesanya Adeola  & Adeyemi Hakeem  Just a stone’s throw behind Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, lies a community that has been left behind by time and policy. Agbadu Village, home to generations of Ijemo Agbadu people, stands today as a portrait of neglect — a settlement stripped of basic amenities, facing the dual threats of institutional expansion and encroaching herders. For decades, the villagers survived on cassava farming, cultivating the same lands their forefathers tilled. But now, their existence is under siege. On one side, MAPOLY’s expansion threatens to bulldoze homes and farmlands;…

Yusroh Lawal  The Nigeria Police Force is once again facing a storm of public outrage following fresh allegations of corruption and abuse of power against a senior officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ogundele Olorunwa, who currently serves as Area Commander, Zone 2, Abeokuta. In a strongly worded petition, the Ogun State chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) accused Olorunwa of institutionalising bribery, undermining court orders, and exploiting complainants who approached his office for justice. The allegations, if proven, could deepen public mistrust in a police system already struggling to rebuild its credibility. “Justice for…

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has raised strong objections to the programme of events for the coronation of the 44th Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja, describing it as an attempt to deprive Muslims of their right to Friday worship. The coronation ceremony, slated for Friday, September 26, 2025, has been faulted by the Islamic rights group over the scheduling of activities that clash with the weekly Jumu’ah prayers. In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, MURIC said it found the omission of Friday prayer in the coronation timetable “repulsive, provocative, insensitive and unacceptable.” “Although…

At least 63 people, including five soldiers, have been killed following a renewed attack by Boko Haram insurgents on Darajamal, a resettled community in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State. Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, who visited the community on Saturday, confirmed the death toll, describing the assault as a devastating setback for families who had only recently returned after years of displacement. The victims, mostly civilians, were killed on Friday night when insurgents stormed the village, shooting indiscriminately and torching homes. The attack occurred barely two months after the state government resettled hundreds of displaced residents back into the…

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has alleged that at least six of its members were killed and more than 100 cows rustled in different parts of Enugu State within the past two months. National Deputy Director-General of MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki, who addressed journalists in Enugu on Saturday alongside bereaved families and South-East executives of the association, described the killings as “a dangerous trend” capable of escalating tension in the state. According to Siddiki, the killings were recorded in Akpugo, Nkanu West, Uzo-Uwani, Udi, Ezeagu and Oji River local government areas, despite ongoing peace accords with…

Despite mounting criticism over worsening economic hardship, the Federal Government has justified its proposed five per cent fuel tax, insisting the levy will serve as a dedicated fund for road infrastructure and maintenance. The chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed this on Saturday while circulating a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the controversial policy. According to the government, the surcharge, which will be activated at the discretion of the Minister of Finance, is a global best practice adopted in over 150 countries, where fuel levies range from 20 to 80 per…

Nigeria has emerged as the country with the highest number of asylum seekers in Ireland, even as the European nation records a sharp decline in overall applications. According to Ireland’s Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, a total of 7,207 asylum applications were received between January and July 2025. This represents a 42 percent drop from the 12,236 applications lodged within the same period in 2024. Despite the reduction, Nigerians accounted for the highest number of applications — 1,083, ahead of Pakistan (945), Somalia (933), Afghanistan (767), and Georgia (462). The report, released in August, further showed that 1,164…

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has called on the people of the South-East to prioritise voter registration, warning that the region is lagging behind in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise. El-Rufai made the appeal on Saturday while speaking at an event in Imo State, where he particularly urged women to take the lead in mobilising their children and communities to register ahead of the 2027 general elections. He emphasised that voter registration is a civic responsibility rather than a political choice, stressing that the democratic system thrives on citizens’ participation in the electoral process. “Governance in our…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has assured Nigerians that there is no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country, despite reports of a fresh outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The agency issued the clarification on Saturday following an announcement by DRC’s Ministry of Health that at least 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including four health workers, have been recorded in Kasai Province as of September 4, 2025. Laboratory tests conducted in Kinshasa confirmed the Ebola Zaire strain as the cause of the outbreak. In a public health advisory, the…