Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) has suspended its nationwide strike after 84 days of industrial action that paralysed public health services across the country. The decision was taken at the end of an expanded National Executive Council (NEC) emergency meeting held in Abuja on Friday, following a conciliation meeting between the union and the Federal Government at the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Thursday. JOHESU had embarked on the indefinite strike on November 15, 2025, over what it described as the Federal Government’s failure to implement the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), alongside unresolved welfare and systemic…

The Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has demanded that a former national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, repay over N150 million in alleged loans and unpaid membership dues, escalating tensions between the ruling party and one of its most prominent defectors. The party, in a statement on Thursday by its chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, said the liabilities were incurred during Oyegun’s years as a member and leader of the APC, including his tenure as pioneer national chairman between 2014 and 2018. Tenebe said the party had made several formal demands for repayment without success, forcing it…

Aisha Waliyullah Residents of over 20 communities in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Friday, appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun to intervene urgently over what they described as the forceful takeover of their ancestral farmlands by armed men allegedly acting on the instruction of a private individual, Lukman Akinlade. The communities — including Odo Igbein, Tapala, Igbo-Oya, Laloko, Oruntu, Eriki-Awoke, Eriki-Nla, Jelenke, Kiregun, Beje, Akinlegun, Jekayinfa, Erunbe, Orile-Igbein and Mushin-Ore staged a peaceful protest, accusing the alleged invaders of deploying armed personnel, including police officers, to intimidate residents and seize large swathes of agricultural land. Carrying placards with…

A Federal High Court in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has fixed March 10 to rule on an application by an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and local government aspirant, Gbenga Akinwande, seeking a review of the N6m costs awarded against him in a pre-election suit linked to the 2024 council polls. Akinwande, a UK-based engineer and chairmanship aspirant for Yewa North Local Government Area, on Tuesday dramatically announced his appearance without legal representation, having dropped his lawyers, and personally moved the motion before Justice Abiodun Adeyemi. The suit, marked FHC/AB/CS/144/2024, was filed against the APC, the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission…

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Asokoro, on Thursday threatened to revoke the bail of Abdulrasheed Maina, former chairman of the defunct Pension Reform Task Team, over repeated delays in his ongoing N738.6 million fraud trial. Justice Abubakar Kutigi expressed frustration at the prolonged proceedings, noting that the trial had been stalled for nearly four years due to what he described as Maina’s “diverse antics.” The judge raised concerns over the defence’s latest request for an adjournment, citing a hospital referral that did not indicate any medical need for Maina’s absence. “I have obtained a commitment from the defence…

…Over 2,700 Capital Projects Across 30 States Tracked In 13 Months Reveal Massive Gaps. .,.. Imo, Lagos, Kwara, Ogun Identified As Hot Spots Of Fraud, Substandard Works … 28.8% Of Projects Never Executed, 57% Delivered Fraudulently Across Key States … Health Centres, Dams, Solar Projects Lag Despite Funding Under 2024 Budget Daud Olatunji  Federal government projects worth N219 billion under the 2024 budget were abandoned, poorly executed, or never started, a new report by Tracka, a civic technology platform, has revealed. The findings, detailed in the report titled “The People and Government Oversight: Connecting the Dots in Service Delivery”, were…

The Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji, has called for a radical overhaul of Nigeria’s economic strategy, warning that the country’s reliance on raw material exports threatens long-term prosperity. A statement by his special adviser on media, Dare Adekanmbi, said  Adedeji made the appeal on Thursday during the maiden distinguished personality lecture of the Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, titled “From Potential to Prosperity: Export-led Economy.” The NRS chief lamented that Nigeria’s economy is characterised by a high-tech oil sector juxtaposed with a low-productivity informal sector, and a lack of a “vibrant,…

Freed Christian worshippers abducted from three churches in Kurmin Wali community, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Thursday recounted chilling tales of hunger, beatings and strict confinement during their days in bandits’ captivity. The victims, numbering 172, were received by Governor Uba Sani at the Government House, Kaduna, after their release from the kidnappers’ camps in the forests. The worshippers were seized on January 18 during Sunday services, triggering widespread outrage and renewed concerns over insecurity in rural communities. Of the abductees, 83 escaped and returned home last Sunday, while the remaining 89 were released in the early…

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday ordered the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services to investigate a court registrar accused of tampering with key exhibits in an ongoing N10bn fraud trial involving Ali Bello, Chief of Staff to the Kogi State Governor. Justice James Kolawole Omotosho issued the directive after the court registrar, Nasiru Onimisi Zubairu, allegedly confessed to deleting crucial WhatsApp messages from a mobile phone tendered as evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The judge disclosed in open court that Zubairu told him privately that Daudu Sulaiman, the second defendant in…

Security agencies intensify operations as communities demand lasting protection More than 160 worshippers abducted by bandits in Kurmin Wali village, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have regained their freedom after weeks in captivity, PLATFORM TIMES has learnt. Sources with knowledge of the development confirmed on Thursday that the victims, who were kidnapped during a religious gathering on January 18, were released and were being evacuated to the Kaduna State Government House for medical checks, profiling and reunion with their families. Although details surrounding their release remained sketchy as of press time, security sources said efforts were ongoing to…