Author: Platform Times Newspaper

.. Empowerment Gulps Over One-Third … Education, Health, Infrastructure Neglected The Federal Government has approved over ₦100 billion for Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIP), popularly called constituency projects, in the 2025 national budget, with Ogun, Kano, and Akwa Ibom states emerging as the biggest beneficiaries. Figures from the Budget Office of the Federation and tracked by civic group TrackaNG show that Ogun State leads the pack with ₦8.44 billion, followed by Kano (₦6.46bn) and Akwa Ibom (₦5.34bn). Together, the three states cornered ₦20.2 billion, representing more than 20 percent of the entire ZIP allocation. Other states with significant allocations include Abia…

The Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) has disclosed that the country’s production of gold, limestone, and bitumen is on the rise, contributing to economic growth and creating new jobs across the nation. The National President of MAN, Dele Ayankale, made this known on Thursday in Abuja during a press briefing to inaugurate the 10th edition of Nigeria Mining Week, scheduled to hold from October 15 to 17. The 2025 edition, themed “Mining from Progress to Global Relevance,” is being organised by MAN in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and VUKA Group. Ayankale attributed the improved output in the sector to policy…

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has issued a fresh warning to residents of flood-prone communities in Oyo State, urging them to immediately relocate to safer grounds as heavy rains threaten massive flooding. The agency’s South-West Zonal Head of Operations, Kadiri Olanrewaju, gave the directive on Thursday during a stakeholders’ roundtable on flood preparedness and response held in Ibadan. Olanrewaju said the warning followed forecasts by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), which predicted intense rainfall across several parts of Oyo State in the coming weeks. According to him, at least six local governments including Ona-Ara, Lagelu and Surulere have been…

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested a health practitioner over an alleged illegal abortion that led to the death of a 35-year-old woman in Ikot Obio Odung, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area. The command’s spokesperson, DSP Timfon John, confirmed the arrest in a statement issued on Thursday in Uyo. According to her, the victim’s mother reported that her daughter, who worked at the Full Life Medical Centre in Ikot Obio Odung, died on Tuesday night during an abortion allegedly carried out by the suspect. John explained that detectives were alerted after neighbours claimed the suspect attempted to secretly…

The Oyo State Government has approved the release of N45 million to boost the fight against HIV/AIDS across the state. Governor Seyi Makinde made the announcement on Thursday at the inauguration of Oyo State HIV/AIDS Control Agency (OYSACA) Ambassadors held in Ibadan. Speaking through his deputy, Bayo Lawal, the governor said the funds, alongside the procurement of HIV test kits, were aimed at strengthening the agency’s capacity to prevent the spread of the virus and improve access to treatment. He said his administration remained committed to reducing the prevalence of the disease, while urging the newly appointed ambassadors to leverage…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a fresh warning of an impending nationwide strike, accusing the Federal Government of deliberately reneging on long-standing agreements on the revitalisation and proper funding of public universities. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday at the University of Jos, ASUU President, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, said university lecturers have been subjected to over two years of “broken promises and endless delay tactics” from the government. He listed unresolved issues including the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, unpaid salary arrears, withheld promotions, poor welfare packages for retired lecturers, and the government’s failure…

The Ogun 1 Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted a Rolls Royce valued at N905 million alongside other contraband items worth over N1.4 billion. The Area Controller, Comptroller Godwin Otunla, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at Idiroko, Ogun State. Otunla explained that the luxury car, a 2021 Rolls Royce Ghost, was seized along with a 2014 Mercedes Benz 4Matic valued at N21.4 million and a 2018 Honda Accord worth N32.2 million. He added that the command also impounded 4,424 bags of foreign parboiled rice—equivalent to more than seven truckloads—1,936 parcels of cannabis sativa, and…

The Borno State Government has sentenced seven young Nigerians, including teenagers, to prison terms, public flogging and community service over their alleged roles in last year’s #EndBadGovernance protests, sparking outrage from Amnesty International. Amnesty International Nigeria, in a statement posted on its X handle on Thursday, described the trial as a “sham” and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the youths. The global rights watchdog disclosed that the youths, aged between 15 and 17, were accused of creating a WhatsApp group named Zanga Zanga to mobilise against the administration of Governor Babagana Zulum. According to Amnesty, the Borno authorities…

Crisis is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as some leaders from the South-East and South-South have kicked against what they described as a “clandestine” zoning meeting scheduled to hold in Lagos on Thursday. The aggrieved party leaders, including state chairmen, lawmakers and former governors, accused Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, who chairs the PDP zoning committee, of convening the meeting through the panel’s administrative secretary, Tombra Jumbo, without due consultation with critical stakeholders. Their protest comes barely a week after the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) inaugurated a 44-member zoning panel to allocate key offices ahead of the…

A National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Jennifer Elohor Edema, who was brutally assaulted and stripped by operatives of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group in Anambra State, has narrated her harrowing experience and demanded justice. A viral video released on August 19 captured the shocking moment armed vigilantes stormed a corps members’ lodge in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area, on July 23, accusing the occupants of internet fraud. The video showed Elohor being beaten, stripped, and humiliated by gun-wielding men who ignored their pleas of innocence. In an interview with vlogger Aprokoking, the Delta-born corps member revealed that the operatives,…