Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government has disclosed plans to sell 753 duplexes recovered from embattled former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, as part of ongoing efforts to recover and repurpose looted assets. The announcement was made on Tuesday via a statement by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Salisu Haiba, who confirmed that the properties were officially handed over to the ministry by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Mr. Haiba revealed that the housing units, located on Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, sit on over 150,000 square metres of…

The Lagos State Government has shut down five orphanages in the past year over allegations ranging from baby trafficking to breaches of the Lagos State Child Rights Law of 2015. Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, disclosed this during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing held in Ikeja on Tuesday to mark the second year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office. Mr Ogunlende said the closures were part of the state’s ongoing clampdown on illegal activities within child care facilities. “Any facility found to be engaging in unwholesome activities such as baby trafficking will be decisively dealt…

Seven inmates have escaped from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa, Osun State, following the collapse of the facility’s perimeter wall due to heavy rainfall. Spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Abubakar Umar, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja. He disclosed that the escape occurred around 2:00 a.m. and was facilitated by a breach in the security structure of the facility. According to Umar, the Controller General of the Service, Sylvester Nwakuche, has ordered an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the jailbreak and directed the launch of a manhunt to apprehend the…

… Over 11,000 Projects Inserted Daud Olatunji According to BudgIT, the civic technology organization, the 2025 federal budget has been rocked by a massive wave of insertions by the National Assembly, with no fewer than 11,122 projects worth a staggering N6.93 trillion pushed into the appropriation document. PLATFORM TIMES reports that this figure represents nearly 13% of the total N54.99 trillion budget signed into law on February 28, 2025—N5.29 trillion higher than what was originally proposed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on December 18, 2024. The BudgIT in its recent report made available on its X handle, the insertions which…

The Ogun State Cricket Association has declared its intention to leverage the gains made in upgrading cricket facilities during the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival (NSF) by pursuing local and international competitions after the event. Speaking on Tuesday, May 20, during the opening match of the cricket event at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Kuto, Abeokuta, the association’s chairman, Mr Oludare Kuforiji, expressed satisfaction with the improved facilities and the progress made in the sport’s development in the state. “It’s been a long journey,” Kuforiji said. “We used to have just one cricket pitch in Abeokuta. Now, we have two…

The National Sports Commission has barred six athletes, including Nigerian boxers Cynthia Ogunsemilore and Dolapo Omole, from participating in the ongoing 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State over doping violations. The commission, during a joint meeting of the Main Organising Committee and the Local Organising Committee on Monday, reaffirmed its stance on zero tolerance for doping, stating that athletes currently under anti-doping sanctions are ineligible to compete for medals at the festival, tagged Gateway Games 2024. This decision, the NSC said, aligns with global best practices and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code. Director-General of the Commission, Bukola Olopade,…

The word altogether and the expression all together appear to be close in meaning whereas they are quite different from each other. While altogether is an adverb which also means completely, totally, entirely, absolutely etc., all together is a phrase which implies everyone or everything in a group gathered in one place or at the same time. Below are examples of their usages: There’s no half-way execution of the project. It has to be done altogether. Please, bring your clothes and bags for me to arrange them all together. However, if you are still confused, just replace any of the…

The Centre for Islamic Propagation in Africa (CIPA) has called for restraint and support for the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, in the wake of technical hitches recorded during the recently concluded 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). In a statement signed by its Amir and President, Ustaadh Uthman Abdul Quadr .O., CIPA noted that while computer-related glitches disrupted examinations in some centres, it would be unfair to use the incident as a tool for criticism against the JAMB boss. “It is no longer news that the 2025 UTME experienced technical errors in…

A staff member of Ecobank Nigeria, Solomon Stephen Ufayo, has been remanded in the Ikoyi Correctional Centre for allegedly engaging in cybercrime involving the fraudulent transfer of over N2.4 million. The banker was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal Command, before Justice Yellim Bogoro of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on a one-count charge bordering on cybercrime. According to the charge, Ufayo, who worked as a Relief Teller at Ecobank, was accused of impersonating a customer, Ogunfodunrin Omowunmi Ajoke, between March 10 and March 28, 2025. He allegedly posted fictitious deposit and…

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the Nigerian judiciary of being riddled with corruption, alleging that many judges and lawyers have compromised the integrity of the legal system. Speaking on Monday at the Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bwari Branch, in Abuja, El-Rufai lamented that public confidence in the judiciary has significantly eroded due to delayed justice, procedural inefficiencies, and what he described as “judicial compromise.” In the  text of the former governor’s address was shared with journalists, El-Rufai said “Our judiciary—meant to be the bedrock of fairness and order—is under intense scrutiny. “The rise…