Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Despite a remarkable surge in capital importation into Nigeria, 32 states—including Abia, Delta, and Ogun—failed to attract any foreign investments throughout 2024, according to the latest data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The report, titled Capital Importation Report for Q1 2025, revealed that total foreign capital inflow into the country soared by 215 percent, rising from $3.91 billion in 2023 to $12.32 billion in 2024. This increase reflects renewed global interest in Nigeria’s economy, driven largely by investments in sectors such as financial services, manufacturing, and telecommunications. However, the gains were disproportionately distributed, with most states completely…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called on African leaders to take bold steps towards achieving health sovereignty by investing in traditional medicine and establishing a dedicated African Health Fund. Speaking at the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit held in Accra, Ghana on Tuesday, Obasanjo said the continent must stop depending on foreign aid to solve its health crises and begin to harness local resources and indigenous knowledge. “We had Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19, yet we survived them all. But we must stop wringing our hands and take responsibility for our health future,” Obasanjo told a gathering of current and former African…

Billionaire businessman and Chairman of Geregu Power Plc, Femi Otedola, has revealed how a series of financial downturns in 2009 wiped out a staggering $898 million from his wealth. Otedola, who also chairs FBN Holdings, made the revelation in excerpts from his forthcoming memoir, “Making It Big: Lessons from a Life in Business”, scheduled for release on August 18, 2025. In the memoir, the oil mogul detailed how the crash in global crude oil prices, naira devaluation, stock market collapse, and accruing interest on loans crippled his financial empire during the global financial crisis. According to Otedola, the trouble began…

In a surprising twist to the prolonged security crisis in Nigeria’s North-West, notorious terrorist commander, Bello Turji, has reportedly surrendered a cache of arms and released 32 kidnapped victims as part of a fresh peace initiative brokered by Islamic clerics in Zamfara State. The development, which comes after years of deadly attacks and abductions blamed on Turji and his fighters, was revealed by a leading Islamic cleric, Sheikh Musa Yusuf (popularly known as Asadus-Sunnah), during a religious gathering in Kaduna on Monday. Yusuf disclosed that the peace initiative began in July following a plea by residents of Shinkafi Local Government…

A member of the House of Representatives, Kabiru Mai Palace, has renovated no fewer than 80 cemeteries in Zamfara State as part of his constituency projects, drawing mixed reactions over priorities in a region plagued by insecurity and poverty. Mai Palace, who represents the Gusau/Tsafe Federal Constituency and chairs the House Committee on Sports, unveiled the cemetery renovation project on Tuesday in what he described as a commitment to dignity in death and religious values. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the lawmaker said the intervention marked his second-year anniversary in the National Assembly, and was inspired by the poor state…

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the licenses of a ValueJet pilot and co-pilot for violating aviation safety procedures at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the NCAA said the crew embarked on takeoff procedures from the designated bay without obtaining mandatory pre-departure clearance, a move described by the authority as “reckless and dangerous.” According to Michael Achimugu, Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at NCAA, the incident occurred on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at the domestic wing of the Abuja airport. “Preliminary findings indicate that Captain Oluranti Ogoyi initiated departure…

The Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called on Governor Dapo Abiodun to introduce tax rebates and address pending salary structure issues in order to curb the continued exodus of doctors from the state’s public health system. The association made the appeal on Tuesday during a press conference in Abeokuta, as part of activities marking its 2025 Annual General Meeting themed ‘Leveraging on Technology to Drive Medical Practice in the Era of Dwindling Medical Personnel.’ Speaking at the event, the state chairman of the NMA, Dr Luqman Ogunjimi, commended the state government for aligning remuneration of…

…Declares APC Has No Electoral Future In Remoland The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed claims circulating on social media that it has endorsed the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Dapo Abiodun ahead of the August 16 bye-election in the state. In a strongly worded statement on Monday, the party described the reports as “concocted falsehood” and part of a desperate propaganda campaign by the APC to mislead voters and distract the PDP from its campaign activities. Publicity Secretary of the Ogun PDP, Otunba Arc Kayode Adebayo, said the party’s earlier remarks in support…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a stern warning to political parties in Nigeria, cautioning them against engaging in premature campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections. INEC said it was illegal for any political party to embark on open campaigning or distribute promotional materials before the official schedule is released, noting that such activities contravene provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. Speaking in Abuja on Monday, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the commission had observed subtle campaigns and the circulation of posters across the country, actions he described as clear…

The Federal High Court in Lagos has sentenced a businessman, Johnson Uchenna, and his wife, Rosemary Uchenna, to a combined 22-and-a-half years in prison for drug trafficking, following a series of raids that uncovered over 400 kilograms of cannabis at their residence and storage facility in Ojo, Lagos. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) disclosed on Tuesday that the couple was arrested on June 13 by operatives of the Department of State Services and handed over to the agency alongside 277.5kg of cannabis, popularly known as skunk. Further investigation and a follow-up raid on July 1 led NDLEA operatives…