Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Rector of D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, Itori, Dr Goke Rauf, has called on alumni of tertiary institutions to actively collaborate with their alma maters to boost educational development, particularly in the face of dwindling funding for higher education across Africa. Dr Rauf, who is also an alumnus of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), made the call while delivering a paper titled “Sow and Reap; Strategic Alumni Collaboration as a Catalyst for Institutional Economic Advancement” during the MAPOLY Alumni Association national convention held on Saturday at the school’s premises in Abeokuta. He stressed the need for strategic partnerships between institutions…

Daud Olatunji  Team Delta surged ahead in commanding fashion on Day 7 of the 2024 National Sports Festival, overtaking early leaders Bayelsa and stamping their authority across multiple disciplines, including taekwondo, swimming, and cycling. The Gateway Games—being hosted in Abeokuta and other parts of Ogun State—entered a dramatic phase, with Day 7 delivering both triumph and controversy. Delta Extends Lead, Edo Top Overall Count Delta State now leads the medal standings with 44 gold, 19 silver, and 40 bronze medals—totaling 103. Their consistency across events saw them leapfrog Bayelsa, who now sit second with 33 gold, 26 silver, and 24…

Pominent political economist and former presidential candidate, Prof. Pat Utomi, has clarified that the shadow government initiative he launched is not a subversive effort to topple President Bola Tinubu’s administration, but a democratic tool to promote accountability and governance reform. Utomi, who is currently facing legal action from the Department of State Services over the move, made the clarification on Sunday during the 4th edition of the Topaz Lecture Series hosted by the University of Lagos Mass Communication Class of 1988 Alumni Association. Speaking on the theme “Shadow Government: A Distraction or Necessity?”, Utomi said the initiative, rather than being…

More than 21,000 candidates failed to show up for the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) resit, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed, even as the examination body battles an alarming wave of high-tech exam malpractice involving AI tools, impersonators and compromised Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres. The resit, which was conducted for candidates affected by technical issues during the main UTME, recorded a significant absentee figure. Out of 336,845 candidates slated for the rescheduled test, 21,082 did not appear, according to a statement released on Sunday by JAMB’s Public Communication Adviser, Dr Fabian Benjamin. While the turnout…

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has destroyed more than 100 illegal refining sites in the Niger Delta within the first five months of 2025 as part of ongoing efforts to combat crude oil theft and environmental degradation. This was revealed by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Ehimen Ejodame, in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja. According to Ejodame, the air component of Operation Delta Safe executed no fewer than 173 missions and 265 sorties, amassing over 270 flying hours between January and May in support of joint and independent military operations in…

Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has declared that President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027 could be significantly undermined — not by Labour Party’s Peter Obi alone, but by the emergence of three influential Nigerians. Speaking on Sunday via a statement issued by his media aide, Oluwatosin Osho, Primate Ayodele noted that while Obi remains a strong political figure, he does not possess the singular strength to unseat President Tinubu. According to the cleric, only a coalition involving three key individuals — whose identities he said he would reveal later — could…

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has said Nigeria’s northern region holds the key to the nation’s transformation, describing it as the country’s greatest asset. Obi made the assertion on Sunday while addressing participants at a meeting of the National Political Consultative Group (North) held in Abuja. The former Anambra State governor lamented the high poverty rate in the North, which he said has worsened insecurity and stalled national development. He blamed the situation on years of underinvestment and neglect. “When you have poverty, you have humanity that you cannot control,” Obi said.…

A  coalition meeting involving key opposition political figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, was temporarily disrupted on Sunday following a protest by delegates from Jigawa State over representation issues. The high-level political parley, held at the Abuja Continental Hotel under the aegis of the National Political Consultative Group (North), saw a brief moment of chaos after former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, recognised a delegate to speak on behalf of Jigawa State. The move was met with stiff resistance from other Jigawa delegates who stormed the podium, physically preventing the…

Some critical stakeholders in Ogun state have expressed shock over the silence of the state governor, Dapo Abiodun on the upgrade of the Federal Polytechnic Ilato, to University by the Federal Government . Tinubu signed into law the bill establishing the Federal University of Technology, Ilaro, thereby upgrading the 46-year-old polytechnic to a full-fledged university. This was announced by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday. The bill, which was sponsored by the Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Olamilekan Adeola, passed its third reading in October 2024. PLATFORM TIMES reports that since the president assented to the bill, many…

Daud Olatunji  The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako, on Saturday commissioned five key infrastructural projects at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, describing the development as a major milestone in the delivery of quality healthcare under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Dr. Salako—an indigene of Ogun State—stated that the projects were part of a nationwide effort to upgrade facilities and improve service delivery across Federal Tertiary Health Institutions. He noted that the initiatives form a core part of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Programme, anchored on…