Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and other top-ranking leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) met behind closed doors in Abuja on Tuesday as opposition forces intensify efforts to form a grand coalition to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections. The high-level meeting had in attendance former Senate President David Mark; former governors Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), and Liyel Imoke (Cross River), as well as former PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the gathering was part of a larger political strategy ahead of a…

Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker, Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, has said he has no intention of bequeathing houses or properties to his children, stressing that he has already given them the greatest inheritance — education. In a recent interview with the Nigerian Tribune, the 71-year-old actor and patriarch, who has 18 children from two wives, stated that his focus throughout his life has been to ensure that his children are educated, rather than accumulating material wealth for them. “I don’t want to leave any properties for my children. I just need two houses — one in Lagos…

Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has expressed confidence in the ability of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to bounce back as a formidable opposition ahead of the 2027 general election. Saraki gave the assurance on Tuesday while reacting to the outcome of the party’s 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which held in Abuja despite an earlier police presence at the PDP national secretariat. In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, the former Senate President said the successful conduct of the NEC meeting marked a turning point for the party and proved wrong the critics who had…

The Defence Headquarters on Tuesday confirmed the killing of a dreaded terrorist kingpin, Yellow Danbokkolo, during a week-long military offensive in the North-West. The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, disclosed in a statement that the operation, codenamed Operation Fagge Fasan Yamma, was carried out by troops in collaboration with hybrid forces, air components, and other security agencies. Kangye said the coordinated assault was launched following credible intelligence on the movement of armed terrorists fleeing from military pressure across parts of Sokoto and Zamfara States. “During the encounter, Yellow Danbokkolo, a notorious terrorist leader who had tormented…

…MULCOED suspends top officials, dissociates self from scandal Authorities have arrested and detained top management officials of the Mufutau Lanihun College of Education (MULCOED), Ibadan, in connection with a certificate forgery scandal that has rocked the institution. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that those arrested include the Provost, Mr. Lawal Musiliu Ayodele; the Registrar, Mr. Jimah Malik; the Bursar, Mr. Adebolu Sirajudeen; and the Admission Officer, Mr. Akari Abdulrasak. They were taken into custody by operatives of the Nigeria Police in Oyo State over allegations of issuing fake National Certificate in Education (NCE) certificates to individuals who never enrolled at the institution.…

Daud Olatunji  The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu, has called on Nigerian universities to embrace radical innovation, skills development, and collaboration as essential strategies to reposition themselves as relevant institutions in the 21st century. Ribadu made the call during the fourth Public Lecture of the African School of Economics (ASE), Abuja, held on Thursday, June 26, 2025. The lecture, themed “The 21st Century Nigerian University: Pitfalls and Pathways”, was delivered by Professor of African History at Vanderbilt University, USA, Prof. Moses Ochonu. Represented by the NUC Director of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, Mr.…

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has raised concern over the Nigerian Army’s inability to provide accommodation for an estimated 13,000 new recruits expected to join the force this year. Oluyede, who spoke in Abuja on Thursday during an oversight visit by the Senate Committee on Army, attributed the challenge to the limitations of the current “envelope budgeting system,” which he described as inadequate for the army’s operational and welfare needs. He said the military was overstretched in terms of infrastructure and warned that the inability to provide shelter for troops poses a major threat to operational…

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mashood Mustapha, was on Monday arraigned before the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin on charges of criminal defamation against Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, following comments he made in the aftermath of the demolition of his multi-billion-naira commercial complex, Crystal Place. The prosecution stems from a viral video released by Mustapha on October 6, 2024, shortly after the state government ordered the demolition of the property situated on Ahmadu Bello Way, Ilorin. In the video, Mustapha accused the AbdulRazaq-led administration of acting out of “political vendetta,” alleging that the demolition was aimed…

A mob in Iguomon community, located in the outskirts of Benin City, Edo State, on Monday, stripped a man believed to be a pastor and a married woman naked over allegations of infidelity. In a video that has since gone viral on social media, angry youths were seen dragging the duo out of a private residence, accusing them of engaging in an illicit affair. The man, said to be a pastor whose identity remains unknown as of press time, was completely stripped and forced to sit on the bare floor. Eyewitnesses told PLATFORM TIMES that the woman, also unidentified, had…

No fewer than 50,000 Nigerians who have tested positive for tuberculosis (TB) are yet to begin treatment due to inadequate funding and limited health resources, the Global Fund has disclosed. This alarming revelation was made on Monday in Abuja by the Executive Secretary of the Global Fund Country Coordination Mechanism (CCM), Mr. Ibrahim Tajudeen, during the 11th quarterly meeting of the Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) on the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). Tajudeen warned that while significant strides had been made in detecting TB cases across the country, the inability to promptly treat diagnosed individuals poses a major threat…