Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Former Senate President and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bukola Saraki, has ruled out contesting the 2027 presidential election, declaring that he will instead wait until 2031 in deference to the country’s zoning arrangement. Saraki said his decision was guided by the principle of political equity and the need to allow the South complete its eight-year turn at the presidency before power rotates back to the North. Speaking on the development, the former Kwara State governor maintained that the South, which produced the president in 2023, deserves to complete its tenure unchallenged. “I’m not contesting in 2027 because I…

The National Youth Service Corps has sanctioned 24 corps members serving in Sokoto State over offences ranging from absenteeism to outright abscondment. The Sokoto State Coordinator of the scheme, Usman Yakubu Yaro, disclosed this on Tuesday during the passing-out ceremony of the 2025 Batch A, Stream I corps members in the state. Yaro said eight of the affected corps members would repeat their service year, while 16 others had their service extended as punishment for various infractions committed during the period of national service. He stressed that the scheme would not tolerate acts of indiscipline, particularly truancy, noting that the…

The Federal Government has approved a far-reaching reform of Nigeria’s cooperative sector, including the establishment of a Cooperative Bank and the formal recognition of the Institute of Cooperative Professionals of Nigeria as a key driver of the transformation agenda. This formed part of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja from March 24 to 27, 2026. The meeting, chaired by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, drew participants from across the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory, cooperative federations, development partners and private…

The crisis rocking the Mace Club of Nigeria has deepened as a member, Bolaji Adeniji, has dragged the association before a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, seeking the nullification of its recent elections over alleged constitutional breaches. Adeniji, a former General Secretary of the club, is challenging his disqualification from the election, describing the process as manipulated and contrary to the club’s constitution. In court documents obtained by PLATFORM TIMES, the plaintiff alleged that his exclusion from the race was “deliberately planned and engineered” to favour preferred candidates backed by vested interests within the club. The Mace Electoral Committee…

Nigeria’s small and medium-scale enterprises are grappling with a massive N48tn financing shortfall, amid concerns that recent banking reforms have yet to translate into meaningful credit to the productive sector, a new report has revealed. The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) raised the alarm in a policy brief on Sunday, stating that despite improvements in the banking system, credit flow to SMEs remains alarmingly low. According to the report led by economist, Dr Muda Yusuf, SME lending accounts for only about one per cent of total bank credit in Nigeria far below the sub-Saharan African average of…

The Ogun State chapter of the Freelance and Independent Broadcasters’ Association of Nigeria (FIBAN) has expressed confidence in the newly deployed Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Olubode Ojajuni, describing his appointment as a boost to security and policing standards in the Gateway State. In a statement issued on Sunday, the association said it received Ojajuni’s assumption of duty with “great optimism,” noting that his track record as a seasoned law enforcement officer and strategic administrator positions him for a result-oriented tenure. Ojajuni, who is the 38th Commissioner of Police to head the Ogun State Command, was described by…

Governors of the 19 Northern states on Monday pledged to intensify coordinated efforts to confront the rising wave of banditry and terrorism plaguing the region, even as they admitted that sustained vigilance remains critical to securing recent gains. The pledge was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) held in Abuja, where the governors reviewed the security situation and outlined fresh strategies to strengthen peace and stability across the North. Chairman of the forum and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, said the meeting focused on critical issues…

The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party worsened on Monday as former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, declared that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, risks expulsion from the party. Fayose made the remark at the party’s 2026 National Convention, insisting that Makinde’s alleged anti-party activities would no longer be tolerated. According to him, Makinde had already been suspended and would be expelled after the convention. He said, “Governor Seyi Makinde is already in suspension and after this convention, he will be expelled. With the ongoing developments, he is also likely to lose the next election in Oyo State.” Fayose…

The Federal Government on Sunday disclosed that Nigeria’s public university system lost nearly five academic years to industrial actions by the Academic Staff Union of Universities in the decade preceding 2023, highlighting the deep-rooted instability that has plagued the sector. Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who made the disclosure in Abuja, said the country recorded about 52 strike actions within the period, translating to roughly 1,700 lost academic days. He spoke at the launch of the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Incubation Certification programme, where he blamed the frequent shutdowns for prolonged academic calendars, delayed graduations, and declining global competitiveness of…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed claims that he is set to retire from active politics, describing the reports as “false, misleading and politically motivated.” In a statement issued on Monday through his media aide, Paul Ibe, the former presidential candidate said rumours circulating on social media about his alleged decision to step aside after a meeting with stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress were fabricated. He warned that the development was part of a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at weakening the rising influence of the opposition bloc. “We wish to state unequivocally that the report claiming that Atiku…