Author: Platform Times Newspaper

After 26 years in public service, Mrs Olufunke Francisca Salako reflects on career, widowhood, faith, and the values she believes Nigeria must urgently rediscover. After 26 years in Nigeria’s public service, rising from a junior officer to become the pioneer South-West Zonal Director of the National Orientation Agency, Mrs Olufunke Francisca Salako is bowing out of service. A trained journalist who once worked briefly in the newsroom before life redirected her path, Salako rebuilt her professional life after a decade-long career break and the loss of her husband. Through resilience, faith and a steadfast belief in integrity, she rose steadily…

Fawaz Adebisi The Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria, FOMWAN, Ogun State chapter, has celebrated its 40th anniversary as well as the 2026 International Women’s Day with a ceremony that featured the commissioning of a National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Lodge. The event, held on Sunday at the organisation’s Secretariat, No. 1 FOMWAN Street, Leme, Abeokuta, was organised in collaboration with the Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. Featuring Ramadan Lecture, the event was themed; “Women’s Justice, Action for All Women and Girls.” In her opening speech, the Ogun State Amirah of FOMWAN, Alhaja Zainab Jinadu,…

Islamic scholars have stressed that humility and tolerance are indispensable virtues for leaders, not only in religious spheres but in all areas of governance. The submission was made by the Missioner of Daru Soliheem Arabic and Islamic Center, Ota, Fadeelatu Sheikh Ibrahim Ajadi Yusuf, during the annual Salako Family Ramadan Lecture/Tafsir held at the Ota Recreational Club Field, GRA Ota. The event was organised by the Ogun State Deputy Governor, Engineer Noimot Salako-Oyedele, and drew clerics, Islamic groups, and political associates from Aworiland and beyond. Sheikh Yusuf, who delivered a lecture titled “Leadership and Followership in Islam: Lessons from the…

By: Folorunso Fatai Adisa It has been excruciatingly harrowing to read through a number of commentaries on social media, particularly from individuals who should know better, media-literate political actors and self-styled analysts. What is striking in many of these reactions is not only disagreement but a troubling mix of intellectual arrogance and informational poverty. For some, any analysis that does not flatter their political preference must automatically be labelled unprofessional, biased, or sponsored. That reflex alone says much about the poverty of our public discourse. From all indications, I have encountered at least two commentators from my very own home…

Ogun State governorship aspirant, Iyabo Obasanjo, has urged decisive action to ensure women’s rights translate into real justice, as Nigeria joins the world to mark International Women’s Day. In a statement released yesterday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant celebrated Nigerian women while emphasizing that legal protections alone are insufficient. She said the global observance should inspire tangible progress, not just rhetoric. “Fellow Ogun women, today we join millions around the world to celebrate International Women’s Day. This year’s theme, ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,’ is a powerful call to move beyond promises and toward results,” Obasanjo…

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party and convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has criticised journalist Mehdi Hasan over his recent interview with presidential spokesperson Daniel Bwala, describing the exchange as hostile and lacking the standards of professional journalism. Showunmi, in a statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES, said the encounter between Hasan and Bwala reflected “an attempted public ambush” rather than a serious journalistic engagement aimed at informing viewers. According to him, there is a clear distinction between tough journalism and outright hostility, noting that while the former serves the public interest, the latter merely serves the…

A commercial motorcycle company, Akmode Transport Limited, has raised the alarm over what it described as the arbitrary seizure of motorcycles and alleged extortion by individuals posing as traffic officials in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The company accused the suspects, allegedly operating under the guise of traffic mayors of Abeokuta South and Abeokuta North Local Governments, of illegally impounding motorcycles belonging to its riders and other motorists across parts of the metropolis. In a statement issued on Saturday by its Manager, M.O. Tiamiyu, the firm alleged that the individuals operate mainly around the Kuto axis of Abeokuta, where they reportedly seize…

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has condemned the arrest and detention of 42 Nigerians in Mozambique, describing the incident as unjust and a possible case of xenophobic targeting. Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, expressed concern over the development, noting that no offence had been formally levelled against the detained Nigerians. In a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the commission’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Dabiri- Erewa called on Mozambican authorities to release the Nigerians immediately or subject them to due legal process if any law had been violated. She described the…

Panic gripped residents of Mallamawar Yari village in the Gawakuke ward of Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Saturday night after suspected bandits, reportedly disguised in women’s hijabs, launched a deadly attack on the community. The assailants were said to have stormed the village under the cover of darkness, killing several residents and abducting an unspecified number of people. Details of the attack were disclosed on Sunday by a security analyst, Bakatsine, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he alleged that the attackers wore women’s hijabs to avoid raising suspicion while moving within the community. According…

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested a former councillor in Lagos State and intercepted several illicit drugs and explosive components in multiple operations across the country. The agency said the former councillor, Sheleru Sadiq, who represented Orimedu in the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, was arrested on March 2 at his residence over alleged possession of illegal drugs. NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, noting that a search of the suspect’s residence led to the discovery of 40 kilograms of skunk, a strong strain of cannabis, concealed in one of the rooms.…