Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Deborah Hundenu The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has expressed grave concern over the alarming rise in kidnapping incidents across various communities in the state, calling for urgent and coordinated action to address the menace. During a plenary session held in Lafia, the state capital, the Assembly directed the chairmen of all 13 Local Government Areas to work closely with traditional rulers and security agencies to organize a security summit aimed at finding lasting solutions to the escalating problem.  The resolution came after a motion was brought to the floor by the Deputy Speaker, Muhammad Adamu Oyanki, who highlighted the…

Febe Abiodun Billionaire philanthropist, Femi Otedola, through his foundation, the Femi Otedola Foundation (FOF), has extended a helping hand to the family of Sodiq and Abiodun Olayode, who recently welcomed quadruplets.  The foundation donated a sum of N5 million to assist the family in managing the sudden increase in their household size. The story of the Olayode family gained widespread attention last month after a friend of the family, identified as James, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to seek financial assistance for the couple.  James’s post quickly went viral, prompting a surge of donations from well-meaning Nigerians,…

Philip Shaibu has officially resumed his duties as the deputy governor of Edo State, following a protracted legal battle that culminated in his reinstatement by the Federal High Court in Abuja. Shaibu, who had been ousted from his position in April, claimed that an assassination attempt was made on his life shortly after his return to Benin, the state capital. The legal saga began in April 2024, when the Edo State House of Assembly impeached Shaibu, a move that was later nullified by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court.  The judge ruled that the impeachment was unlawful and…

Daud Olatunji The Ogun State Police Command has launched a manhunt for the abductors of two Chinese expatriates, Chen Wenguang and Liang Ding, who were kidnapped in the Kémta/Abule-Owu area along Onigbedu Road, in  Ewekoro local government area of Ogun State. The expatriates, who are associated with Good One Carton, a company operating in the area, were abducted on Monday around 1:45 p.m.  They had reportedly left the company premises without any security detail to visit friends when the incident occurred. Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, disclosed that the kidnappers had reached…

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Monday, provided justification for the recent police raid on the headquarters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja, attributing the action to national security concerns. Egbetokun, speaking at a Youth Summit organized by the police, responded to questions regarding the force’s opposition to the ongoing hardship protest.  He emphasized that while the police are not inherently against protests, it is their duty to manage them responsibly.  According to the IGP, intelligence gathered by the police suggested that the protest could be exploited by agents of destabilization with the intent to undermine…

By: Quadri Yahya  The last time Abdulrosheed Fadipe had a reason to be at his local government Secretariat (Ila, Osun State) for a certificate, it took one week to finally get a copy. Why so? Almost all the processes involved are manually carried out. “The manual process takes a longer time”, he said in a chat. “At one time, when we wanted to collect primary 6 certificates, we had to wait for almost a week before we were contacted at the council. At the end of the day, they had to typewrite the name of the recipient.” Such analogue methods…

Prof. Ayodele Thomas Odunlami, a professor of Broadcast Journalism, is set to deliver the 119th Inaugural Lecture at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) on Thursday, August 13, 2024. The event will take place at the OGD Lecture Theatre on the main campus in Ago-Iwoye, with Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, the Vice-Chancellor, serving as the chairman. Prof. Odunlami, who currently serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and holds the distinction of being the first Professor of Mass Communication at OOU, will present a lecture titled “(Re)Moving The Ancient Landmarks? How Technology Deconstructs The Mass Media.” In an interview, Professor…

It is important to state that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is known for MAKING men. Those that are close to him confirmed that he does not say no to request for help. He is said to be a giver; perhaps he learnt that from Chief M.K.O Abiola. Clearly, he has his eyes on that seat he is occupying today for over 30 years.He worked towards it with all his energy and he built bridges all over the country to achieve that aim. That implied preparation and building of bridges across the country is not cheap at all.You need money and…

In a concerted effort to address the rising challenges of irregular migration, Paola Pace, the Interim Chief of Mission for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Nigeria, alongside the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and international journalists, convened on Saturday for a virtual seminar to discuss strategic approaches.  The seminar, titled “Migration Dialogue,” was organized by the Journalists International Forum For Migration (JIFORM) and focused on the theme, “Migration Trends: Threats and Opportunities.” During the seminar, Pace, who served as the guest speaker, underscored the importance of continuous capacity building, the use of…

The South-West region emerged as the top beneficiary of the N281.47 billion Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations to local government areas in July, an analysis of the disbursement has revealed. The zone, which comprises 137 local government areas, received N63.95 billion, accounting for 22.72% of the entire sum. The North-West, with 186 local government areas, closely followed, receiving N62.78 billion or 22.3% of the total allocation. The oil-rich South-South region, with 123 local government areas, came third, securing N44.52 billion, representing 15.82% of the total disbursement. Meanwhile, the North-Central zone, which has 115 local government areas, received N38.11 billion,…