Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government on Thursday destroyed no fewer than 1,316 illegal firearms recovered from terrorists, bandits, and other criminal groups, in what authorities described as a bold step to curb the proliferation of small arms fuelling insecurity across the country. The weapons were set ablaze and later smelted at the Muhammadu Buhari Cantonment in Giri, Abuja, under the supervision of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) providing oversight. National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who led the exercise, said the spread of illicit weapons remained…

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) first Permanent Voter Card (PVC) pre-registration report, describing the figures as “statistically implausible” and “suggestive of manipulation.” INEC had recently published data from its online pre-registration exercise, broken down by gender, state, occupation, and disability status. However, the ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Thursday, alleged that the figures released by the electoral body contained glaring anomalies. Citing Osun State as an example, the party said the state reportedly recorded 393,269 new pre-registrations in just one week, far higher than…

The Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, has suspended two palace chiefs for allegedly abandoning their traditional responsibilities. A statement issued on Thursday by the Secretary of the Benin Traditional Council, Frank Irabor, announced that the Izuwako of Benin, Chief John Igiehon, and the Oyenmwensoba of Benin, Chief Aimuiukpomonyako Oghogho (popularly known as Ebengho), were relieved of their duties with immediate effect. The council explained that the chiefs had been absent from palace activities for an extended period, a development which it said hindered their obligations to the throne. “The public is hereby advised to be…

The Federal Government on Thursday warned that Nigeria is battling a “triple burden” of malnutrition, with millions of citizens suffering from undernutrition, overnutrition, and severe micronutrient deficiencies. Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, disclosed this in Abuja at the Nigeria Health Watch Roundtable, themed “Fortifying Nigeria’s Future: Strengthening Nutrition through Local Solutions.” Represented by the Director of Nutrition, Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Ms Kachollom said the country’s worsening food crisis had left children, adolescent girls, and pregnant women most vulnerable. “Micronutrient deficiencies impair cognitive development, reduce productivity, and increase maternal and child mortality,” she said. Citing the 2024…

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, has declared that the oil firm will not bow to “attacks and short-term pressures” from those resisting ongoing reforms in the company. Ojulari, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday while receiving a delegation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) led by its president, Festus Osifo, said the company was determined to pursue far-reaching changes that would benefit Nigerians despite opposition. “We are under attack, but we will not budge to short-term pressure. Change comes with a price, and this…

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has dismissed speculations that he is nursing any political ambition ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that his focus is on mobilising Nigerians to end what he described as the reign of “oppressors.” El-Rufai spoke in Kaduna on Wednesday while receiving defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the African Democratic Congress (ADC). “I am not contesting for anything. I don’t want to go to the Senate, and I am not contesting for any position,” the former governor declared. “But that’s why I am calling on you, let us join hands and…

The Federal Government has dismissed claims that it entered into any binding agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), saying the documents being circulated are mere proposals. Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this known in Abuja on Thursday while responding to questions on the union’s ongoing nationwide protest. Alausa stressed that contrary to public perception, no enforceable pact exists between the government and ASUU, noting that what has been tagged an “agreement” was only a draft still under review. “We are committed to solving this problem once and for all. What has lingered since the 2009…

A pan-Nigerian movement, The Alternative, on Wednesday took its voter awareness campaign to farmers in Ogun State, urging them to participate fully in the ongoing pre-registration of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the next general election. The advocacy meeting, held in Abeokuta with members of Agbe Gbe Lu Agro Network Limited, was led by the convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Showunmi, who was represented by the Southwest Chairman of the movement, Olusola Salau. Showunmi described farmers as a trustworthy bloc capable of influencing credible change at the polls, stressing the need for them to mobilise their communities…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) branch, has issued a stern warning to President Bola Tinubu’s administration to fully implement the reviewed 2009 agreement or face what it described as the “mother of all strikes.” The TASUED branch chairman of ASUU, Dr. Wale Ositoye, gave the warning on Wednesday during a press briefing held shortly after the union staged a peaceful protest at the university’s main gate in Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. Ositoye, who led members and executives of the union during the protest, said the action was meant to raise awareness and…

…Ex-President Seeks Independent Nomination Panel … Calls For Judiciary, Civil Society Input In Process … Warns Credibility Of 2027 Polls At Stake Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for a drastic reform in the appointment process of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, warning that the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections would depend on it. Jonathan, represented by the Executive Director of the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation, Ms Ann Iyonu, spoke on Wednesday in Abuja during the public presentation of the National Action Plan for Electoral Reforms organised by the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought. The former…