Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The councillor representing Ward 13 in Abeokuta South Local Government, Hon. Ibrahim Jasul, has distributed educational materials and furniture to pupils in his ward, saying the gesture was part of his commitment to ease the burden of parents struggling with the rising cost of education. Jasul, who was elected in November 2024, donated ten student lockers, 350 exercise books, 200 pens, pencils, erasers, and sharpeners to pupils  within the ward. Speaking during the presentation on Tuesday, Jasul said many parents could no longer afford basic school items due to the harsh economic situation in the country. “As you can see,…

The lingering industrial crisis at the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, took a dramatic twist on Monday as soldiers were reportedly deployed to safeguard examination halls following threats from striking lecturers. The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), led by Comrade Kolo Joshua, had on September 15 declared an indefinite strike to protest 18 months of unpaid excess workload allowances. The union directed its members to boycott the ongoing semester examinations and allegedly warned against supervising the exercise. Sources within the institution told PLATFORM TIMES that the management brought in armed soldiers to prevent disruption after some staff volunteered to…

Daniel Osinyemi  The Nigerian Army has confirmed a major offensive against a dreaded criminal gang in Imo State, killing five suspected fighters linked to the so-called “Unknown Gunmen,” including the deputy commander of their feared leader, known as Gentle De Yahoo. The operation, carried out by troops of the 34 Brigade under the 82 Division, took place in Aku, Ihube, Okigwe Local Government Area — a community that shares borders with Abia and Anambra States. According to military sources, the troops had trekked nearly four hours to the target location to avoid detection before storming the residence believed to be…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2024 Ondo State governorship election, Chief Ajayi Alfred Agboola, has withdrawn his appeal before the Supreme Court, effectively bringing to an end his legal battle against Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Agboola, a former deputy governor of the state, announced his decision in a letter addressed to the Chief Registrar of the apex court, saying the move followed wide consultations with his family, political associates, party stakeholders and legal team. “As the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, I have engaged in thoughtful discussions with my…

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has accused the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari of wrecking Nigeria’s economy through reckless monetary policies, including the printing of N22.7 trillion under the Central Bank’s “ways and means” facility. Dogara, in a viral video circulating on Tuesday, said the Buhari government destroyed the value of the naira, leaving President Bola Tinubu with what he described as a “wrecked economy.” According to him, the controversial printing of trillions of naira, the dual foreign exchange regime, and the mortgaging of crude oil sales for foreign loans plunged the country into its current…

…Says Judges Face Burnout, Mental Health Risks The Chief Judge of Ogun State, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, has raised concerns over the long-standing neglect of the Nigerian judiciary, warning that the well-being of judges must become a priority if the system is to remain effective and incorruptible. Justice Dipeolu spoke on Tuesday at the opening of the 2025 Judges’ Conference held at the Ceremonial Court, Judiciary Complex, Kobape Road, Abeokuta. The theme of this year’s conference was “Judicial Officers’ Well-Being.” She described the judiciary as the “third and co-equal arm of government” that had for decades been treated as an afterthought,…

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has carried out an accreditation and resource inspection visit to Harvarde College of Science, Business and Management Studies, Obada, Ogun State, as part of efforts to strengthen the quality of technical and vocational education in Nigeria. The visitation team, led by Dr. Fatimoh Kabir Umar, Director of Polytechnic and Allied Programmes at the NBTE, assessed the institution’s human, physical and material resources to determine its readiness for accreditation of eight academic programmes. The programmes under consideration include National Diploma (ND) in Law, Higher National Diploma (HND) in Film and Multimedia Studies, HND in…

Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have rescued eight children suspected to have been stolen from Kano and other parts of northern Nigeria and trafficked to the South-East and South-South regions by a wanted inter-state child trafficking syndicate. A statement issued by Press Officer NAPTIP, Abuja, Vincent Adekoye on Tuesday, disclosed that the children were recovered during a raid on a privately owned orphanage in Asaba, Delta State, which is run by a prominent executive of the Association of Orphanage Operators in Nigeria. The  statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES added that the…

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has called on the National Assembly to enact legislation that will entrench the Federal Government’s ‘Nigeria First’ policy, stressing that no nation can achieve industrialisation through external forces. Dangote, who spoke at the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, said Nigeria and other African countries must take ownership of their economic development by industrialising locally rather than relying on imports. “Other nations were not industrialised by outsiders. We must build and industrialise our own economies. Without this, how can others invest? That is why I believe the National Assembly should enact legislation to support the Federal Government’s…

…  Blames Poor Storage, Weak Infrastructure, Climate Change … FG Launches First Integrated Pulse Centre In Jigaw The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, has revealed that Nigeria loses about $10 billion annually to post-harvest losses, warning that the trend threatens food security and economic stability. Kyari disclosed this on Monday during the inauguration of the Green Legacy Rural Community Agriculture and Infrastructure Network (G.R.A.I.N) Pulse Centre at Kangire community in Birnin-Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa State. He explained that the huge losses are driven by poor storage facilities, weak infrastructure, limited processing capacity, climate change, flooding,…