Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Balqees Adeniji Despite persistent food insecurity challenges across Ogun State, the government has committed over ₦90.6 billion to the agricultural sector between 2021 and 2025, findings by PLATFORM TIMES have revealed. An in-depth analysis of Ogun State’s annual budget documents shows that the government allocated a cumulative total of ₦90,648,941,415.17 to the Ministry of Agriculture and associated programmes within the five-year period. The breakdown reveals fluctuating year-on-year allocations with a sharp rise expected in 2025. In 2021, the state earmarked ₦13.4 billion for agriculture-related expenditures. This included ₦4.5 billion for the Ministry of Agriculture, ₦5.8 billion for the Ogun State…

Sterling Bank is at the centre of a storm over allegations of $122 million fraud and money laundering, following a disputed loan arrangement with Miden Systems Limited, a Lagos-based oil and gas company. The Nigeria Police, in a report dated January 14, 2025, accused the bank of financial impropriety, including fraudulent debits and misappropriation of funds, after investigating a petition forwarded to it by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions. The controversy stems from a $30 million loan Sterling Bank granted Miden Systems in 2012 to execute a contract with Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC). According…

Veteran Juju musician, Chief Sunday Adeniyi Adegeye, popularly known as King Sunny Ade, has debunked claims that he was abducted, describing the allegations as false and malicious. The music icon’s daughter, Damilola Esther Adeniyi-Adegeye, had on Monday raised alarm via social media, alleging that her father was being held against his will by his stepson and manager, Dayo. She further claimed the 77-year-old was being made to “work under duress” while his whereabouts remained unknown to other family members. Reacting in an Instagram post on Monday, King Sunny Ade stated emphatically that he is “alive and well,” while dismissing the…

There was pandemonium at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) after gunmen stormed the facility to kill a physiotherapist identified as Alex in a suspected cult-related attack. Sources said the gunmen shot the health personnel while on duty within the department of physiotherapy of the hospital on Friday. According to one of the sources, the attack threw patients and staff into panic as they scampered for safety. In response, distraught health workers staged a protest within the hospital premises, wielding placards to decry the growing insecurity that has now spilt into health institutions. UBTH public relations officer, Joshua Uwaila,…

A sweeping reorganisation has hit the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), resulting in the immediate exit of several top-ranking officials. Among those affected are Bala Wunti, former Chief of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS); Ibrahim Onoja, Managing Director of the Kaduna Refinery; and Lawal Sade, the company’s Chief Compliance Officer and a former Managing Director of NNPC Trading. The high-profile dismissals are said to be connected to ongoing internal restructuring at the state-owned oil firm. Industry sources said that the executives were considered close allies of Mele Kyari, who was relieved of his duties as Group Chief…

In a renewed effort to deepen Nigeria’s soft power diplomacy across Africa, the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has deployed 35 medical professionals to Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania. Speaking during the official deployment exercise on Tuesday in Abuja, the Director-General of NTAC, Dr Yusuf Yakub, said the mission aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to strengthen Nigeria’s foreign policy through soft power and professional exchange across African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. “Today is a historic day for the Corps. In honour of President Tinubu’s directive and our shared African brotherhood, 35 TAC volunteers—doctors and nurses—are being sent to…

Morenikeji Adebayo The Founder of Household of Love Foundation, Mrs. Antonia Akinlawon, has reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to rehabilitating and empowering street boys in Nigeria, as the foundation unveiled a new home for the initiative on Tuesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Speaking at the house dedication ceremony, Mrs. Akinlawon disclosed that the foundation is set to provide shelter, mentorship and educational opportunities for 14 street boys, in a bid to reintegrate them into society as successful and responsible citizens. She said, “This started five years ago during my search for what I could give back to God. I have nurtured…

Detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on Tuesday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he founded Radio Biafra to promote peace, truth, and fundamental human rights. Kanu made the claim in a recorded video of his interrogation by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), which was played in open court during his ongoing trial for alleged terrorism and treasonable felony. The IPOB leader, who was re-arraigned before Justice James Omotosho on March 21, also admitted in the video that although Radio Biafra was registered in the United Kingdom, its operations…

Daud Olatunji  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has issued a stern warning to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), cautioning them against inadvertently becoming conduits for terrorism financing and money laundering due to regulatory non-compliance. Speaking during a two-day training on “Strengthening a Community of Practice to Improve The CSO Regulatory Environment In Nigeria”  held in  Abeokuta, Ogun State, the EFCC’s Assistant Inspector, Monye Ekene, stressed the urgency for nonprofit entities to align with the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The training was organised by Global Rights as part of an…

Morenikeji Adebayo As part of activities marking the 2025 World Immunisation Week and Polio Awareness Week, UNICEF and the Lagos State Government have renewed calls for strengthened routine immunisation systems to protect children from preventable diseases, especially polio. Speaking during the “#Walk for Polio” event in Lagos, Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Ms. Celine Lafoucriere, highlighted the urgency of reaching the over two million Nigerian children who are still “zero-dose” — children who have not received a single dose of any vaccine. “It’s an honour to walk with all of you today,” Lafoucriere told dignitaries, development partners, community…