Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Media Team of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has dismissed reports claiming that the revered monarch endorsed President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 presidential election. The team described the claim, which has been circulating on social media, as false, malicious and an attempt to drag the Sultan into partisan politics. In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by Prince Bashir Adefaka, the media team insisted that the Sultan, as a father figure to all Nigerians, could not publicly or privately support any political candidate. The statement read, “It is not possible for…

Average 3,124MW Stranded Monthly Amid Weak Infrastructure TCN Insists Grid Can Transmit Far More Power Stakeholders Call For Urgent Reforms To End Recurring Losse Daud Olatunji Nigeria’s electricity sector recorded another paradox in the first half of 2026 as power generation companies lost an estimated ₦110.56 billion to stranded electricity, despite millions of households and businesses grappling with chronic power shortages. Findings by PLATFORM TIMES showed that an average of 3,124.5 megawatts of electricity generated between January and June could not be transmitted or utilised, exposing persistent weaknesses in the country’s electricity transmission and distribution network. The development has renewed…

Hackers have breached the database of Zenith Bank, gaining unauthorised access to limited customer information, including email addresses and phone numbers. The bank disclosed the cyberattack in a notice sent to customers on Tuesday, assuring them that its core banking operations and digital channels remained secure and fully functional despite the incident. According to the lender, the breach forms part of a wider global cyberattack targeting organisations across different sectors. Zenith Bank, however, stressed that the attackers did not compromise customers’ banking credentials or disrupt its services. “The hackers accessed limited customer information, including email addresses and phone numbers, during…

Ayomide Awe Canada has deported 643 Nigerians within the last 18 months, placing Nigeria among the top 10 nationalities removed from the North American country and making it the only African nation on the list. Official figures released by the Canada Border Services Agency showed that 438 Nigerians were deported in 2025, while another 205 were removed between January and June 2026. The latest Immigration Removal Statistics released by the agency ranked Nigeria as the 10th highest nationality removed in 2025 before moving up to ninth position in the first half of 2026. The CBSA said immigration removals involve foreign…

The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers allegedly linked to the abduction of three newly graduated military recruits in Zamfara State, as security agencies intensify efforts to dismantle criminal gangs operating across the North-West. The Command said one of the suspects had made useful disclosures that could assist investigators in tracking other members of the criminal network behind the July 2026 abduction. The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bashir Usman, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday. According to the statement, the suspects were arrested during an intelligence-led operation conducted at about 6:15…

Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, on Monday declared that his administration had not borrowed any money since he assumed office, insisting that prudent resource management and fiscal discipline could deliver sustainable development without plunging states into debt. The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria made the declaration while speaking at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit, where he also expressed optimism that Nigeria’s economy had stabilised and was on the path to sustained recovery. “Nigeria has stabilised and is on the rise. I haven’t borrowed a dime since I became governor,” Soludo said. The governor maintained that…

…Directs institutions to strengthen campus intelligence, partner DSS …Promises TETFund-backed security infrastructure in 2027 Daud Olatunji The Federal Government has directed vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts of tertiary institutions across the country to immediately expel any student found guilty of kidnapping or related criminal offences after due investigation. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, gave the directive during a meeting with the Pro-Chancellor, Governing Council members and management of the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, in Abuja. A statement issued on Tuesday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Ikharo Attah, said the directive forms part of…

The Nigeria Customs Service has announced the recruitment of 3,852 successful candidates from a total of 573,680 applicants in its 2024/2025 recruitment exercise, while unveiling plans to make recruitment an annual exercise. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing at the NCS headquarters in Abuja, describing the move as part of efforts to strengthen manpower planning and improve the transparency of the recruitment process. According to Adeniyi, the annual recruitment system will enable the service to replace retiring personnel in a structured manner instead of waiting several years before conducting fresh recruitment. He…

Daud Olatunji  …Releases Emergency line : 08112000033 The Ogun State Government has said it has positioned at least one ambulance in each of the state’s 20 local government areas as part of efforts to ensure emergency victims receive medical attention within 15 to 20 minutes. The Acting Director of Ogun State Ambulance and Emergency Services, Dr. Festus Adetonwa, disclosed this during an interview with PLATFORMTIMES on Tuesday, saying the government was strengthening emergency medical response across both urban and rural communities. Adetonwa said the state’s ambulance service was designed to provide prompt pre-hospital emergency care to victims of road crashes,…

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta has inducted 113 graduating students of its Department of Computer Science into the computing profession, with a charge on the new professionals to embrace innovation, uphold ethical standards and leverage emerging technologies to drive national development. The induction, conducted by the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria during the university’s 11th CPN Induction Ceremony for the 2025/2026 graduating class, was held at the Postgraduate School Auditorium on July 28. Speaking at the event, the Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, urged the graduates to position themselves for opportunities in emerging fields such as Artificial…