Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…Net foreign reserves climb from $3.99bn in 2023 to $34.8bn in 2025 Nigeria’s net foreign reserves surged from $3.99 billion at the end of 2023 to $34.8 billion by December 2025, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Yemi Cardoso, has disclosed. Cardoso described the jump as a “substantial strengthening” of the country’s external buffers, highlighting both the level and quality of reserves as markedly improved over the three-year period. He noted that the 2025 net reserves alone surpassed the total gross reserves recorded at the end of 2023, which stood at $33.22 billion. According to the CBN…

The Lagos Division of the Federal High Court has convicted and sentenced two men to a combined 40 years’ imprisonment for producing and distributing counterfeit alcoholic beverages in the state. The convicts, Otuorimuno Nelson Aziakpono, 58, and Ikegwuonu Davidson Ikechukwu, 28, were found guilty of manufacturing, possessing, selling and distributing adulterated and unregistered alcoholic drinks. Their conviction followed a December 3, 2025 enforcement raid carried out by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control at Kojo Street, Ijanikin, and Vespa Market in Lagos. NAFDAC said its operatives uncovered large quantities of fake and unregistered alcoholic beverages, including…

The University College Hospital, Ibadan, has suspended the admission of new patients as health workers commenced a five-day warning strike over what they described as persistent and crippling power shortages within the facility. The industrial action, which began at 8 a.m. on Monday, is being spearheaded by unions under the umbrella of the Council of UCH Union Leaders. The affected unions include the Association of Resident Doctors, the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, and the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, among others. The unions alleged that internal electricity rationing…

Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello has declared that her father, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, will vote for her if she secures the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 election in Ogun State. Iyabo, who recently defected to the ruling APC, spoke with journalists on Monday after formally registering at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. She dismissed suggestions that her decision to join the APC was influenced by her father, insisting that it was a personal and well-considered move. “My father is not part of my coming here today. It is my personal decision. He is just another…

The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable drug for the prevention of HIV, into Nigeria in March 2026, in a move health authorities say could significantly strengthen the country’s fight against new infections. The development was disclosed by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, which confirmed that the breakthrough medication has secured regulatory approval from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. In a statement issued on Monday by its Head of Public Relations, Toyin Aderibigbe, NACA said the government was advancing preparations for the rollout of Lenacapavir as Pre-Exposure…

The Nigerian Air Force has said its fighter jets have killed several senior terrorist commanders and destroyed key insurgent infrastructure during coordinated airstrikes in the Sambisa Forest, Borno State. The operation, conducted under the Joint Task Force of Operation Hadin Kai, targeted identified terrorist enclaves in the Yuwe general area of the Sambisa Forest axis on February 28, 2026. In a statement on Monday, the NAF spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the mission was intelligence-driven and followed days of surveillance. He explained that confirmatory Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance flights had earlier uncovered structures believed to be hideouts for top…

The Federal Government has approved a total of N48bn for the rehabilitation and upgrade of engineering faculties in 12 selected universities across the country, allocating N4bn to each institution under a special high-impact intervention scheme. Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Monday during the inauguration of the Implementation Committee for the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Special High-Impact Intervention Projects in Abuja. The minister said the intervention targets engineering and technology faculties in Federal Universities of Technology and selected conventional universities, with a focus on rehabilitating workshops, upgrading laboratories and procuring modern, industry-relevant equipment. The benefiting institutions include the…

The family of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed as false allegations by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission that sophisticated phone-tapping equipment was recovered from his Abuja residence. In a statement issued on Monday by his son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, the family described the claim as a “blatant lie” and accused the anti-graft agency of waging a media trial. The commission had earlier announced that it recovered devices allegedly capable of intercepting conversations, as well as sensitive security documents, during a search at…

The Editor of Platform Times, Daud Olatunji, has  delivered a compelling lecture to mass communication students at D.S. Adegbenro ICT Polytechnic, offering insights into the evolving challenges and opportunities in contemporary journalism. Under the theme, “Practical Steps Towards Combating Challenges in Journalistic Endeavours,” the event, tagged “A Day With the Pen Professional,” attracted students, lecturers, and the leadership of  the polytechnic to the  campus along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Itori. During the lecture, Olatunji dissected the impact of digital transformation on journalism, noting that while technology has broadened audience reach and storytelling tools, it has also heightened risks such as misinformation,…

Fawaz Adebisi The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba (Dr.) Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, Okukenu IV, has thrown his full weight behind PLATFORM TIMES as the publication prepares to host its own celebration marking the 50th anniversary of Ogun State. The endorsement came during a visit by the PLATFORM TIMES Board of Trustees to the Ake Palace, where the revered monarch expressed enthusiasm for the publication’s plans to host a dedicated celebration of the milestone, joining the Ogun State Government’s series of activities marking the historic occasion throughout February 2026. The team, headed by former President of the Freelancers and…