Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A former presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, has refuted claims that late President Muhammadu Buhari solely depended on foreign doctors for his medical care during his tenure, insisting that Nigerian medical professionals played a central role in managing his health. Shehu made the clarification during an appearance on Channels Television on Saturday, responding to a recent remark by Femi Adesina, another former presidential aide. Adesina had suggested that Buhari’s survival during his prolonged health challenges was due largely to the intervention of foreign medical experts, citing deficiencies in Nigeria’s healthcare system. Dismissing that assertion, Shehu stated that Buhari maintained a strong…

The Nigerian Chapter of the West African College of Physicians (WACP) has expressed deep concern over the persistent gaps plaguing Nigeria’s healthcare system, warning that urgent reforms are necessary to avert further deterioration in public health outcomes. Speaking at a media briefing in Kano on Saturday, following the conclusion of the College’s 49th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference, the National Chairman of WACP, Professor Benjamin Uzochukwu, called for immediate government action on multiple fronts — including lifestyle disease prevention, equitable healthcare access, and early cancer detection. Professor Uzochukwu, who is also a professor of Public Health and Community Medicine,…

Former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Dr. Monday Onyekachi Ubani (SAN), has strongly condemned the recent renaming of a major Lagos bus stop, describing it as a dangerous ethnic agenda threatening Nigeria’s fragile unity. Ubani was reacting to the decision by the outgoing Chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Kolade Alabi David, to rename the popular Charly Boy Bus Stop to Baddo Bus Stop, in honour of popular Yoruba music star, Olamide. While acknowledging Olamide’s achievements, Ubani, a legal and policy analyst, decried what he described as a “systematic and silent erasure” of…

…Launches mega development initiative in Bali/Gassol constituency Member representing Bali/Gassol Federal Constituency of Taraba State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Jaafaru Yakubu, has rolled out a large-scale empowerment initiative targeting critical sectors of community life, including health, agriculture, youth development, and access to clean water. The programme, which held in Bali Local Government Area on Saturday, attracted a massive turnout of beneficiaries, traditional rulers, youth groups, religious leaders, and political stakeholders from across the constituency. At the event, Yakubu distributed 23 mini ambulances to boost emergency healthcare response, 80 motorcycles to enhance youth mobility and productivity, and 20 cars…

The Great Ife Alumni Association has celebrated the election of three of its illustrious members as Fellows of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL), marking a prestigious academic milestone for Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, and the global community of its alumni. The honourees include Professor Gbemisola Adeoti, elected as a Regular Fellow; Professor Akinwumi Ogundiran, as an Overseas Fellow; and Dr. Lasisi Olagunju, as an Honorary Fellow of the Academy—Nigeria’s apex institution for humanities scholarship. In a congratulatory message, the Global President of the Alumni Association, Barrister Bunmi Falode, described the trio as “accomplished academic giants” and “worthy ambassadors”…

No fewer than 237 suspected oil thieves have been arrested by Nigerian troops during a series of operations conducted between July 10 and 17, 2025, across the Niger Delta and other parts of the country. The Defence Headquarters, which disclosed this on Friday, said the troops also recovered petroleum products worth over N241 million, alongside a haul of arms, ammunition, and illegal refining equipment. The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, in a statement, explained that the coordinated operations targeted oil theft, terrorism, kidnapping, and illegal arms trading across different regions. According to Kangye, during the anti-oil theft…

A Kano State High Court has sentenced two men, Buhari Abdullahi and Umar Mukhtar Usman, to six months imprisonment for impersonating officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a bid to defraud unsuspecting members of the public. The duo were convicted on Friday, July 25, 2025, by Justice Nasiru Saminu, after pleading guilty to a one-count charge of false impersonation brought against them by the Kano Zonal Command of the EFCC. According to a statement released by the anti-graft agency, the men were arrested after they were found parading themselves as EFCC operatives using fake identity cards.…

Nigeria’s public debt is fast approaching a record-breaking N200 trillion, sparking widespread concern across the private sector and among economic experts who fear the country may be hurtling toward a deeper fiscal crisis. As of the first quarter of 2025, the Debt Management Office (DMO) placed the public debt at N149.4 trillion. However, with the National Assembly recently approving new borrowing requests—including a $21.5 billion foreign loan and a $347 million domestic credit facility—analysts say the debt could balloon well past N200 trillion by the end of the year. What has amplified the crisis, observers say, is the sharp depreciation…

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has commended Dangote Cement, Ibese Plant, for its sustained commitment to community development and food security through its annual farmers’ empowerment initiative. Speaking through the Ministry’s Mines and Environment Compliance Officer (Southwest), Mr. Mathew Ochimana, during the 2025 Farmers Empowerment Programme held in Ibese, Alake noted that Dangote Cement’s investment in its host communities is fostering economic growth, job creation, and social cohesion. The latest edition of the programme saw 240 farmers from Ibese and neighbouring communities receive modern farm inputs, including fertilisers, herbicides, raincoats, and boots — all aimed at…

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is on a steep decline and is unlikely to fare well in the 2027 general elections, predicting the party may come fourth in the national race. Fayose, a longtime PDP stalwart and outspoken critic of internal party failings, made the assertion during a live appearance on Politics Today, a political affairs programme on Channels Television, aired Friday evening. According to him, the PDP’s descent into irrelevance is largely due to unresolved internal wranglings, marginalisation of experienced leaders, and a failure to learn from past electoral…