Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened to drag President Bola Tinubu to court if he fails to make public the process for appointing a successor to the outgoing Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. Yakubu, who has served two terms as INEC boss, is due to leave office in November 2025 after completing his 10-year tenure. However, reports of his early exit on terminal leave have sparked fresh controversy over the integrity of the succession process. In a letter dated September 27, 2025, and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP…

The Federal Government has dismissed claims by some international commentators that Christians in Nigeria are facing a systematic genocide, insisting that terrorists target Nigerians of all faiths. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, in a statement on Sunday, described the allegations as “false, baseless, and divisive,” warning that such narratives misrepresent the country’s security reality. “The federal government strongly condemns and categorically refutes recent allegations by certain international platforms and online influencers suggesting that terrorists operating in Nigeria are engaged in a systematic genocide against Christians,” Idris said. He stressed that portraying terrorism in Nigeria as a deliberate…

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has said that Nigeria’s current socio-economic challenges did not start with President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Akume stated this on Sunday during a special interdenominational service at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja, organised to commemorate Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary. The former Benue State Governor explained that President Tinubu has embarked on bold reforms aimed at repositioning the nation for long-term prosperity, stressing that such reforms required patience and collective sacrifice. “Each Nigerian has a role in building the Nigeria that we deserve,” Akume said, urging citizens to look beyond…

Crescent University, Abeokuta, has appointed Professor Rasaki Olufemi Kareem as its new Deputy Vice Chancellor. The announcement was made on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the university’s Senate Chamber by the Registrar, Barr. Zakariyya Ademola Ajibola, who conveyed the decision on behalf of the Vice Chancellor. He noted that the appointment will officially take effect on October 1, 2025. Prof. Kareem, a professor of Resource and Development Economics, joined the services of Crescent University in 2009 as Lecturer II and rose through the ranks to attain professorship in 2022. An accomplished scholar and administrator, he has held several key positions…

The Nigeria Police Force has rescued a 24-year-old Ghanaian national who was allegedly trafficked into Nigeria with a false promise of travelling to Canada. Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the crime. Force Public Relations Officer,Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, saying the victim was freed during a coordinated operation by INTERPOL Annex, Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon, in Ofada, Ogun State. According to Hundeyin , the operation followed a request for assistance from Interpol’s National Central Bureau in Accra, Ghana, after reports of the victim’s disappearance. “The Nigeria Police Force, in its sustained efforts…

The Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Owena Press Limited, publishers of The Hope Newspapers, Mr. Kayode Fasua, has dismissed reports accusing him of shielding age falsifiers within the company and covering up the disappearance of two Hilux vans, describing the allegations as “reckless lies from envious detractors.” Fasua, who was appointed head of the state-owned media organisation in October 2024, said in a statement issued in Akure on Sunday that his focus had been on repositioning the newspaper for efficiency and growth, not on shielding wrongdoing. “I couldn’t have shielded age or certificate falsifiers because I willingly set up an age…

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has urged Nigerians to see the true measure of freedom not in personal gain but in service to humanity, stressing that independence becomes meaningful only when used to build, bless and uplift others. Abiodun stated this on Sunday at the interdenominational church service held at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter, Ake, Abeokuta, to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary. The governor, represented by his deputy, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, said the celebration should rekindle faith in the nation’s future. He noted that Nigeria’s founding fathers envisioned “a nation where no man is oppressed, where opportunities abound…

The Nigerian Environmental Society (NES), Abeokuta Chapter, has applauded the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) for clamping down on more than 15 companies in Ogun State over alleged violations of environmental laws. The society described the crackdown as a “bold and commendable step” to safeguard public health and restore environmental integrity in one of Nigeria’s most industrialized states. In a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji (Chief) Jamiu Badmos (MNES), the society noted that Ogun State, home to numerous manufacturing and processing industries, has over the years faced mounting environmental pressure from industrial activities. “Many of these…

Traditional rulers of Ifon-Osun, Erin-Osun, and Ilobu communities in Osun State on Monday publicly resolved to bury decades of animosity and embrace lasting peace. The Olufon of Ifon-Osun, Oba Peter Oluwole Akinyooye; the Elerin of Erin-Osun, Oba Yussuf Kolawole Omoloye; and the Ilobu of Ilobu, Oba Ashiru Olatoye Olaniyan, pledged reconciliation at a stakeholders’ engagement organised by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Osun State Command, to mark the 2025 International Day of Peace. In an emotional moment that drew applause from dignitaries, the monarchs shook hands and embraced, signaling an end to recurring communal clashes that had…

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has pledged to deepen Nigeria’s non-interest finance market in partnership with Metropolitan Skills Limited and Metropolitan Law Firm, a move stakeholders have described as a historic step in positioning the country as Africa’s hub for Islamic finance. The commitment was unveiled in Abuja on Saturday during the AICIF 2025 Pitch Competition, one of the pre-conference activities leading to the 7th African International Conference on Islamic Finance (AICIF) scheduled for November. The event brought together regulators, innovators, investors, and entrepreneurs under the theme: “Africa Emerging: A Prosperous and Inclusive Outlook.” Speaking at the event, Ummahani…