Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta President Bola Tinubu has withdrawn the earlier presidential pardon granted to convicted murderer, Maryam Sanda, following widespread public outrage and criticism over what many Nigerians described as a miscarriage of justice. Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, son of former PDP Chairman, Haliru Bello, had her sentence initially commuted to six years under the President’s prerogative of mercy. However, after a wave of condemnation, Tinubu directed a review of the decision and approved a reduced 12-year term instead. In a statement on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President…

Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has confirmed that his Abuja residence was raided by men suspected to be military operatives, but denied having any link to an alleged coup plot under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). Sylva, in a statement released on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, described the reports linking him to the alleged plot as “false, malicious and politically motivated.” Bokoru disclosed that the former minister and his wife, Alanyingi Sylva, were both out of the country when the…

A fresh wave of discontent is spreading among Nigerian soldiers deployed in the North-East as some troops have accused “repentant” Boko Haram members integrated into military operations of secretly leaking sensitive information about army movements and armoury to their former terrorist allies. According to a report by Sahara Reporters, several frontline soldiers stationed in Borno and Yobe States have described the policy of recruiting and working alongside “repentant” insurgents as a “deadly mistake that continues to cost lives.” One of the soldiers, who spoke under condition of anonymity, alleged that some of the so-called repentant fighters routinely relay vital intelligence…

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has declared that the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is revolutionising Nigeria’s road construction model with a new generation of highways designed to last between 50 and 100 years. Umahi stated this on Wednesday during an inspection tour of the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano Expressway (Section I), describing the new approach as a major shift from decades of poor-quality road projects that often collapse within a few years. According to a statement by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, the minister said the new engineering standards will prioritise durability, recycling, and…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive review of the controversial presidential pardon recently granted to 175 inmates, after nationwide outrage over the inclusion of convicts jailed for serious crimes including murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and arms dealing. The reversal came barely three weeks after public criticism trailed the initial pardon list approved at the National Council of State meeting on October 9, 2025. In a statement issued Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu directed that names of persons convicted of serious crimes be deleted from the list, while others had their…

A labour and civil rights advocate, Comrade ‘Yinka Folarin, has charged the Ogun State Government to stop blaming past administrations and focus on delivering tangible legacies that will improve the lives of the people. Folarin, in a strongly worded statement titled “Ogun State Government Must Be Reawakened: Leave the Past and Focus on the Legacies You Intend to Leave Behind”, accused the Dapo Abiodun-led administration of hiding under inherited liabilities despite enjoying increased internally generated revenue (IGR) and tripled federal allocations. He lamented that despite being in power for over six years, the administration continues to shift blame for its…

Some aggrieved Nigerian soldiers have written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, lamenting the alleged diversion of their allowances and what they described as widespread corruption among top military officers. The soldiers, who said they have endured years of neglect, claimed that their families are suffering while they remain on the frontlines battling insurgents and other security threats across the country. In the letter, sighted by PLATFORM TIMES on Tuesday, the soldiers accused the outgoing service chiefs and senior officers of shortchanging them in the payment of non-regular allowances approved by the Federal Government. “Mr. President, our families are…

Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has blamed the persistence of long-serving African leaders such as Cameroon’s Paul Biya and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara on the continent’s weak institutions and lack of democratic accountability. Saraki, who spoke at the Democracy Union for Africa Forum held in Nairobi, Kenya, said the trend of sit-tight leadership in Africa is a direct result of fragile governance structures that fail to check abuse of power. “These are not merely political anomalies; they are symptoms of institutional fragility,” he declared. “It is what allows, for instance, the re-election of Paul Biya in Cameroon at the…

Despite a record ₦17.2 trillion revenue in 2024, 35 Nigerian states remain heavily reliant on allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), according to BudgIT’s latest State of States report released on Tuesday. The civic tech organisation revealed that, while states’ revenues expanded significantly between 2015 and 2025, their financial independence remains alarmingly weak — with most relying on the federal purse to stay afloat. “Our findings show that many states continue to depend on FAAC for more than half of their total income, despite a sharp increase in allocations,” BudgIT noted. According to the report, FAAC inflows rose…

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to suspend the removal of fuel subsidy in 2012 was driven more by fears of Boko Haram attacks than by public protests. Sanusi, who was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the time, said the Jonathan administration had initially been resolute about ending the subsidy regime but backtracked after intelligence reports warned of possible suicide bombings targeting protesters. Speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference themed “Better Leader for a Better Nigeria” on Tuesday, Sanusi disclosed that the government’s…