Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Group Managing Director of First Holdings Company Plc, Mr. Wale Oyedeji, has warned that Nigeria’s economic and social woes will persist unless more leaders in business and public service adopt integrity as their guiding principle. Speaking on Thursday, at the opening ceremony of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Western Nigeria Union Conference Adventist Men’s Organization (AMO) 2025 Convention, held at Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, Oyedeji challenged Nigerian men to become “modern-day Josephs” by upholding truth, humility, and accountability even under intense pressure. Delivering a lecture titled “Integrity in Marketplaces: Be a Joseph,” the banking chief stressed that integrity was…

A traditional chief in Osun State, identified as Chief Ajibade, has been arrested by the police for allegedly forcing a 25-year-old man to drink a poisonous substance after accusing him of stealing two pieces of corn from his farm. The incident occurred in Ireti Ayo, a community in Ilesa, Osun State, sparking outrage among residents and leading to a tragic twist after the father of the victim reportedly died of shock upon hearing a false report that his son had died from the poisoning. Spokesperson for the Osun State Police Command, ASP Abiodun Ojelabi, who confirmed the arrest, said the…

A member of the Governing Council of the University of Port Harcourt, Dr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, has filed a formal petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing the Council Chairman, Mr. Mao Ohoabunwo, of gross financial misconduct and abuse of office. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the petition, which was also forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Education and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), alleges the diversion of over ₦370 million in donor funds, illegal contract awards, and consistent interference in the university’s academic and administrative operations. In the document obtained by our…

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has described Nigeria’s political parties as lawless and lacking the structures needed to deepen democracy in the country. Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at the public presentation of two political memoirs authored by veteran journalist Ike Abonyi, Obi decried the deteriorating state of political party systems in Nigeria, blaming political elites for wrecking institutions that ought to outlive them. The books, titled “The Bubbles of Nigeria’s Democracy: The Musings of a Nigerian Journalist” and “Wadata Wonders: Memoirs of a Partisan Journalist”, drew top political figures and media veterans to the event.…

A wave of devastation has swept through fish farms in Lagos State, as over 50 catfish farmers have suffered losses estimated at more than ₦150 million following days of heavy downpour and flash flooding. The Lagos State Catfish and Allied Farmers Association (LASCAFAN) described the incident as the worst flooding disaster in recent memory, leaving hundreds of fish ponds submerged and millions of naira worth of fish washed away. Vice President and incoming President of the association, Mr. Olatoye Fajimi, who spoke  in Lagos, lamented that the disaster struck silently overnight on Monday, giving farmers no chance to salvage their…

A major disruption in Nigeria’s aviation sector appears imminent as four key workers’ unions have declared a total withdrawal of services beginning Monday, August 11, 2025, over the government’s failure to implement a long-standing salary agreement. In a joint statement on Thursday, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) confirmed that all their members across airports will ground operations from 5:00 a.m. on the stated date. The strike action…

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has raised the alarm over a sophisticated scam involving the cloning of his voice and impersonation of his identity to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians. In a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, Akume revealed that criminal syndicates had successfully cloned his voice and were using it to call influential Nigerians, falsely offering them federal government appointments in exchange for money. “The fraudsters cloned the voice of the SGF, using it to solicit money in return for federal appointments,” the statement read. The…

Farmers in Dan Isa district of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Zamfara State, are groaning under the weight of extortion as armed bandits now demand a total of N1.6 million from each village to allow farming activities this rainy season. According to Malam Hassan Yarima, the Ward Head of the district, the 35 villages under his jurisdiction are required to pay N800,000 to access farmlands for cultivation and another N800,000 during harvest, as a “security fee” demanded by a feared bandit leader, identified as Dan Sadiya. Yarima, who spoke to Daily Trust in a telephone interview, lamented the helplessness of…

In a sweeping disciplinary action aimed at sanitising Nigeria’s correctional system, the Federal Government has dismissed 15 officers and demoted 59 others over acts of gross misconduct and violations of service regulations. The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), which oversees disciplinary matters within the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), approved the sanctions following a review of 224 cases of alleged misconduct. Spokesperson for the Correctional Service, Umar Abubakar, confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday, saying the decisions were reached after thorough investigations and in line with due process. He disclosed that the Board’s Disciplinary and…

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced a tentative fare of N8.5 million for the 2026 Hajj exercise, subject to final negotiations on service contracts. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Commission’s Assistant Director of Information and Publication, Fatima Sanda Usara, following a post-Hajj review meeting with Chairmen and Secretaries of State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards in Abuja. The meeting, which focused on evaluating the 2025 Hajj operations and planning for the upcoming pilgrimage, also reaffirmed Nigeria’s retention of the 95,000 slots allocation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 2026. State allocations will…