Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has exposed and ordered the arrest of six civil servants for allegedly diverting critical documents belonging to the state’s Ministry of Health. The suspects are accused of attempting to sell materials intended for primary health care centres and general hospitals across the state. In a video posted on his official Facebook page on Saturday, the governor detailed how he intercepted the suspects. Nwifuru narrated that while on his way to inspect some projects, he instinctively directed his convoy to reverse into the health ministry’s premises, where he discovered a vehicle being loaded with official documents.…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to launch a comprehensive investigation into the alleged mismanagement of ₦57 billion in public funds within the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. The organization made the appeal on Sunday in a statement signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare. The call follows revelations from the 2021 audited report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, which highlighted significant financial irregularities in the ministry. According to SERAP, the alleged missing funds include over ₦54.6 billion meant for paying stipends to Batch C1 N-Power volunteers…

The socioeconomic fortune of Ogun State, particularly the Abeokuta and its environs, is set to witness a burst as about a two dozens of diaspora investors in the Pelican Valley Estate products have concluded plans to start growing their wealth with commencement of construction work on their property next year. A United Kingdom – based IT guru and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Avenue Impact, Funso Akinwunmi, disclosed this at the weekend shortly after taking delivery of the bulk title documents of land pertaining to their investments in the Pelican Valley, recieved on behalf of his members in the…

Ayomide Awe The Ogun State Youth Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Oyejide Sunkanmi, popularly known as Suco, has called for the immediate release of Asaolu Gafar, a member of the party’s youth wing, detained by the Ogun State Police Command. PLATFORM TIMES reports that Gafar was reportedly detained last week after voluntarily responding to a police invitation. In a statement issued on Sunday in Abeokuta, Oyejide described Gafar’s detention as unconstitutional and an affront to the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution. The PDP youth leader decried the growing trend of detaining citizens without proper investigation, alleging…

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has assured depositors of the defunct Heritage Bank that challenges delaying access to guaranteed sums above N5 million are being resolved. NDIC managing director Bello Hassan gave the reassurance on Saturday during the 2024 edition of the NDIC Editors Forum in Lagos. Mr Hassan said the corporation was working diligently to facilitate payments. Mr Hassan explained that depositors above the maximum insured limit of N5 million were reimbursed through liquidation dividends derived from asset recovery and debt realisation efforts. “The corporation has initiated the process of debt recovery and realisation of investments as well as…

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has raised concerns over the Federal Government’s inability to meet its crude oil supply target under the naira-for-crude initiative. In an interview reported by Reuters, the Vice President of Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, lamented that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has consistently fallen short of delivering the agreed minimum of 385,000 barrels per day (bpd), a critical supply needed to sustain operations. “We need 650,000 barrels per day. NNPCL agreed to give a minimum of 385,000 bpd, but they are not even delivering that,” Edwin said, describing the current supply as “peanuts.” The…

The African Development Bank has onboarded 21 states, including Ogun, for the second phase of its Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme, which aims to transform Nigeria’s agricultural landscape with an N850bn ($540m) investment. Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, disclosed this after the 146th National Economic Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, stating that the programme is expected to bolster food security and economic growth. He said, “The Council resolved and urged all states to key into this programme because it is a game changer. It will go a long way in tackling the Federal Government’s food security goals.”…

The Nigerian government’s sustained diplomatic efforts have led to the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a pro-Biafra agitator and Nigerian- Finnish citizen, by Finnish authorities. Ekpa, along with four others, was apprehended on Thursday on suspicion of terrorist activities linked to violence and instability in South-eastern Nigeria. The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, confirmed the development in a statement on Friday. According to him, the arrest followed extensive high-level engagements between Nigeria and Finland aimed at curbing  Ekpa’s alleged destabilizing activities in the region. “The arrest of Mr. Simon Njoku Ekpa follows sustained diplomatic pressure by the Nigerian…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reiterated its December 1, 2024, deadline for all state governments to implement the new minimum wage of N70,000, warning that failure to comply will trigger an indefinite strike by workers in defaulting states. This position comes after the passage of the new minimum wage bill into law by President Bola Tinubu on July 29, 2024. The legislation raised the country’s minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, aiming to cushion workers against the rising cost of living. On November 11, the NLC had initially set a November 30 deadline for implementation, which was later extended…

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader in Ogun State, Chief Toyin Amuzu, has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of neglecting the worsening security crisis in the state in favor of orchestrating politically motivated arrests. Amuzu condemned the detention of Gaffar Asaolu, an aide to Hon. Ladi Adebutu, calling it a diversionary tactic aimed at silencing opposition voices. Asaolu, the former Director of Finance for the Atiku-Okowa Campaign Committee during the 2023 elections, remains in detention despite what Amuzu described as a lack of evidence to justify the charges against him. Amuzu alleged that Asaolu’s arrest was part of a broader campaign…