Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Tension has escalated in Ondo State following revelations that two individuals delivering ransom for the release of a kidnapped All Progressives Congress (APC) ward chairman were also abducted, with the kidnappers now demanding an additional N30 million. The abducted politician, Nelson Adepoyigi, who serves as the Chairman of Ward 5 in Ose Local Government Area, was kidnapped on Monday at the entrance to his farm along the Ifon-Owo road. Sources within the family, speaking anonymously, disclosed that after initial negotiations, the abductors had agreed to release Mr Adepoyigi in exchange for N5 million and food items. However, after two volunteers…

Dozens of members of the National Caterers Association of Nigeria, mostly women from across the country, staged a peaceful protest at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta on Thursday, alleging they were sidelined from catering contracts for the National Sports Festival, tagged “Gateway Games 2025,” scheduled to begin Friday. The protesters, who gathered barely 24 hours to the commencement of the event, claimed they were initially enlisted by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to handle meal preparations for athletes and officials but were later abandoned without notice. Addressing journalists during the protest, the National President of the association, Francisca Ojo,…

The Lagos State University, University of Ilorin, and Fountain University have rallied behind the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Ishaq Oloyede, in the wake of technical setbacks that marred the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The institutions, in separate statements, lauded Prof. Oloyede’s transparency, courage, and accountability after he admitted to technical and human errors that compromised the results of 379,997 candidates across five states, including Lagos and several in the South-East. At a widely covered press briefing held on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, Prof. Oloyede took full responsibility for the errors, refusing to…

The Lagos State Government has raised concerns over the growing trend of civil servants absconding after being sponsored for overseas training. The Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Afolabi Ayantayo, on Tuesday disclosed that 30 per cent of state-sponsored beneficiaries do not return to the country upon completion of their programmes. Ayantayo made the revelation during the ongoing annual Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja. The briefing is part of activities marking the second year in office of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term. The commissioner lamented that although the government remains committed to human capital…

Feyisayo Ogunbiyi  The Nigeria Customs Service and community leaders in Ogun State have dismissed as false and baseless a viral report claiming that 28 people died after consuming poisoned rice allegedly cursed by a smuggler whose goods were seized at the Seme border. In the past week, audio and video messages have circulated on social media, alleging that a suspected rice smuggler resorted to spiritual means to place a deadly curse on bags of rice confiscated by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). The viral content claimed that the supposed spiritual attack led to the deaths of unsuspecting consumers, including a…

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has disclosed that the United Kingdom processes approximately 1,500 visa applications daily from Nigerian nationals. Montgomery made the revelation on Wednesday during the UK-Nigeria Economic Growth and Sustainability Summit held in Abuja. He also used the platform to urge Nigerian applicants to be wary of visa-related fraud and to adhere strictly to official application procedures. “We continue to receive a high volume of visa applications from Nigeria — around 1,500 each day,” Montgomery stated. “This is a testament to the strong people-to-people connections between the UK and Nigeria, built on decades of…

The Federal Government has unveiled a National Forest Guard initiative to secure all 1,129 forests across Nigeria from terrorists, bandits, and criminal syndicates. The plan, announced on Wednesday by presidential spokesperson, Sunday Dare. He said  the move arks a decisive step in President Bola Tinubu’s security agenda, which he said  aims to reclaim national territory from violent non-state actors. According to Dare, recruitment and deployment of forest guards are to begin immediately. The operatives, who will be fully trained and armed, are tasked with flushing out criminal elements who use the country’s vast forest reserves as safe havens for illegal…

The Abeokuta Polo Club is set to host a high-profile groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday, May 17, 2025, unveiling a sprawling development project that redefines the role of sport in national development. The event, scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. at the club’s newly acquired 100-acre site, will feature a live polo match and will be chaired by the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Dr. Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III, who is expected to perform the symbolic blessing of the land. Speaking ahead of the ceremony, President of the Abeokuta Polo Club, Dr. Sheriff Adams Abdulrahmon, described the project as…

The Society of Music Educators of Nigeria (SOMEN) has called for the urgent adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in music education across the country, as part of a bold move to unify music teaching methods and align with global standards. The call was made during SOMEN’s 20th Annual National Conference, held on Wednesday at the Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta, Ogun State. The gathering brought together music educators, researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders from across Nigeria to chart a progressive path for the future of music education. Renowned educationist and keynote speaker, Professor Peter Okebukola, in his address themed “Artificial…

No fewer than 120 million Nigerians have so far been enrolled in the National Identity Number (NIN) database, the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, disclosed on Wednesday in Abuja. Speaking at a media conference, Mrs Coker-Odusote said the NIN enrolment exercise remains ongoing across urban and rural areas, with an aggressive drive to expand the reach before the end of the year. “We have enrolled many Nigerians and are still counting. We are definitely going to continue until we capture more Nigerians before year-end,” she said. According to the NIMC boss, the agency’s partnership with…