Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…N117m overpayment discovered in March payroll The Rivers State government has uncovered thousands of ghost workers and pensioners following a fresh verification exercise of its workforce and retirees. Official figures released on Friday by the Sole Administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, revealed a sharp drop in the number of workers and pensioners on the government’s payroll after the audit. According to him, only 37,703 civil servants were confirmed as genuine employees, compared to a previous record of over 43,000, while the number of pensioners fell to 19,186 against the earlier figure of more than 25,500 retirees. Speaking during…

Tragedy struck Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Friday when 13 residents drowned while attempting to escape a gunmen’s invasion of their communities. Eyewitnesses said the assailants stormed two villages in Birnin Magaji Ward, forcing terrified residents to flee toward a nearby river. With no safe escape route on land, scores of villagers rushed to board a single boat in a desperate attempt to cross to the other side. The boat, however, became overloaded and capsized midway, throwing its occupants into the river. A health worker, Shehu Mohammed, who lost his first son and two nieces in…

Fresh revelations have emerged in Kano State’s growing corruption scandal, as Bureau de Change (BDC) operators have implicated Abdullahi Rogo, the Director-General of Protocol to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, in an alleged N6.5 billion fraud currently under investigation by Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are probing claims that Mr Rogo masterminded the diversion of billions of naira belonging to the Kano State Government, funnelling the funds through shell companies, bureau de change operators, and personal accounts. In separate statements to investigators, two BDC operators…

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Saturday said the successful conduct of the Rivers State local government elections had paved the way for an end to the emergency rule imposed on the state six months ago. Wike, who spoke to journalists after casting his vote at Ward 9, Unit 007, Rumepirikom, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, expressed confidence that the elections had restored grassroots representation and would facilitate the return of democratic governance. “With this election, the coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted,” Wike declared. “The local governments now have representatives, and…

Fresh tension is brewing in Irokun Kingdom, Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State, following alleged moves by the Ondo State Government to install a rival monarch in the border community despite the presence of a traditional ruler legally recognised by Ogun State. Findings revealed that the Ondo State Government has scheduled the installation of Idowu Julius Akinjinrin as Oba of Irokun on Sunday, August 31, 2025, on the claim that majority of the residents identify as Ilaje/Ikale people of Ondo State. However, the community already has a traditional ruler, Oba Buhari Ola Balogun, who was installed about 18…

The Ogun State chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has demanded that the 2027 governorship seat be ceded to Muslims, lamenting what it described as decades of political exclusion in the state. The group, in a statement signed by its state chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Jimoh Alao, and secretary, Alhaji Olaleye Rasheed Damilare, on Friday, insisted that fairness, justice, and inclusiveness must define the state’s political leadership going forward. MURIC argued that since Ogun was created in 1976 and with the return to democratic governance in 1979, only one Muslim had occupied the governor’s seat, a situation it described as…

By Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola The Foundation of My Conviction As a proud biological son of Ogun State from Egbaland, I write today not as a politician seeking advantage, but as a statesman who has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of proper governance structures. My journey from Chairman of Abeokuta North Local Government to Secretary of Ogun State Government, from Federal Minister for Mines and Steel Development to Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, has afforded me unique insights into the mechanics of effective administration and the critical importance of balanced federalism. Having served at every tier of government—local,…

The Federal Government has denied reports suggesting it disowned existing agreements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), insisting that the last binding pact between both parties remains the 2009 agreement. This was contained in a statement issued by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, on Friday, following widespread backlash over comments attributed to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa. Alausa was earlier quoted as saying no agreement had ever been signed with ASUU, a claim that triggered sharp reactions from the lecturers’ union. Clarifying the controversy, the ministry explained that the Minister’s…

Residents of Onosa community in Lagos State’s Ibeju-Lekki area erupted in protest on Friday after police officers allegedly shot dead an unarmed man during an incident that left two others critically injured. The shooting, which reportedly occurred on Thursday night, sparked outrage among youths who trooped out in their hundreds at daybreak, barricading major roads and disrupting vehicular movement. Eyewitnesses told PLATFORM TIMES that the protest began after news of the victim’s death spread across the community. In video clips obtained from the scene, residents were seen chanting slogans and setting up roadblocks with tyres, while the lifeless body of…

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has cautioned Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, against interfering in the affairs of local government councils, insisting that the governor lacks the constitutional powers to suspend elected council chairmen. Fagbemi’s warning followed the suspension of the 18 local government chairmen and their deputies by the Edo State House of Assembly on December 17, 2024, after Governor Okpebholo directed the lawmakers to act on allegations of insubordination and financial misconduct against the council officials. The governor had accused the chairmen of refusing to submit their financial statements to his office,…