Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Emmanuel Oludare  The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has set the cut-off mark for university admissions at 140, while polytechnics and colleges of education will have a minimum of 100 for the 2024 academic session. PLATFORM TIMES reports that this decision was made public on Thursday during the annual policy meeting on admissions held at the Body of Benchers, Headquarters, Abuja. The National Minimum Tolerable UTME Score (NTMUS), commonly referred to as the cut-off mark, was determined during this crucial meeting, which follows the successful administration of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).  PLATFORM TIMES gathered that a…

Daud Olatunji  Members of the House of Representatives has cut their salaries by 50 percent for the next six months.  This move is aimed at mitigating the economic hardship and hunger currently afflicting many citizens across the country. During a session on Thursday, lawmakers unanimously agreed to the salary reduction as part of their commitment to support the Federal Government’s efforts in addressing the skyrocketing cost of living.  The resolution followed the adoption of an amendment to a motion’s prayer moved by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Okezie Kalu.  Kalu called for the sacrifice, emphasising the need for…

Daud Olatunji  Operational activities at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) have come to a complete halt due to protests by a faction of Eleme community youths.  PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the protest started since Tuesday, July 16, 2024, same day the the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) reaffirmed its commitment to commence crude oil refining at the Port Harcourt refinery by early August.  PLATFORM TIMES further gathered that the youths denied staff and contractors access to the facility, carrying placards and demanding significant changes in the company’s operations and community relations. The protest has reportedly  caused significant…

The Labour Party House of Representatives candidate for Abeokuta South Federal Constituency in the 2023 election, Tolulope Philips,has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.  The announcement was made during a large gathering at the PDP secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital, where Philips was formally received by the party’s leadership, including Hon. Ladi Adebutu, the party’s former governorship candidate. Philips, accompanied by hundreds of his loyal supporters, expressed his intention to join forces with Adebutu to “liberate the state.”  Addressing journalists at the well-attended event, Philips lamented that his time in the Labour Party had not…

The Imo State House of Assembly has  called for the removal of the state’s Chief Judge, Theresa Chikeka, following serious allegations of age falsification.  This development stems from an in-depth investigation by a four-man ad-hoc committee, which revealed discrepancies in Chikeka’s declared age. The investigation was initiated after the House received a petition from the Civil Society Engagement Platform (CSEP) on July 3, 2024.  Signed by Ndubuisi Onyemaechi, CSEP’s Director of Investigation, the petition accused Chief Judge Chikeka of altering her birth date from October 27, 1956, to October 27, 1958.  This act was described as gross misconduct by the…

Daud Olatunji The Peoples Democratic Governors Forum has  lamented that the 16 years of progress the country experienced under the PDP rule have been eroded by the All Progressives Congress administration. The PDP governors said this  rising from the Forum’s meeting held at the Enugu State Government House, Enugu, on Wednesday. Those in attendance were Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State; Governor Peter Mba of Enugu State; Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State; Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State; Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State. Others are Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi…

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has announced that the Federal Government will soon repatriate an additional 250 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  This follows the recent repatriation of 190 Nigerians from the UAE, underscoring the government’s ongoing efforts to assist citizens abroad. On Tuesday, a total of 190 Nigerians returned to the country and were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja at 5:57 a.m.  The returnees were welcomed by a combined team of government officials led by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).  This effort is part of a…

Dangote Industries Ltd. has commended the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission for its various interventions in the oil company’s crude supply requests from International Oil Companies. The Vice President of Dangote Industries, Mr Devakumar Edwin, commended the commission in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos. Edwin said that NUPRC should also be commended for publishing the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) guidelines to enshrine transparency in the oil industry. He said: “If the Domestic Crude Supply Obligation (DCSO) guidelines are diligently implemented, this will ensure that we deal directly with the companies producing the crude oil in…

A 23-year-old Islamic school teacher, Yusuf Yunusa, has been arrested for allegedly sodomizing 12 of his students in Gwaram Local Government of Jigawa  State. The State Commissioner of Police, A T. Abdullahi, disclosed this during the  parade of  the suspect at the Command’s headquarters in Dutse, He  revealed  that the suspect had formed a habit of taking his pupils to different locations and forcing them to engage in sexual acts with him. According to the Commissioner, the suspect would take the children out under the guise of massaging his penis and sucking it, forcing them to swallow his semen. “On…

The Kano State Commissioner for Higher Education, Dr. Yusuf Kofar-Mata, on Wednesday, lost three of his family members to a devastating early morning fire outbreak at his residence in Kofar-Mata quarters, Kano metropolis. The tragic incident, which occurred while the family members were asleep, claimed the lives of the commissioner’s daughter, Maimuna, his elder sister, Khadija, and a close relative, Juwairiyya.  PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the  commissioner narrowly escaped the disaster, but his grief is immeasurable. Eyewitnesses reported that the fire caused significant destruction to the residence, reducing several valuables to ashes.  However, the exact cause of the inferno…