Author: Platform Times Newspaper

By Abdussalam Tolani “Among the believers are men true to their pledge to Allah. Among them is he who has fulfilled his vow (martyrdom) and he who awaits (his chance). And they didn’t change (the terms of their commitment to Allah) by any alteration”* Q.33: 23 Feeling the icy hands of Death is beyond human indices like wealth, piety, intelligence, social status or family edge. Divorced from passion or compassion, Death turns gains to pains, reduces grace to grass and tears our hearts into tears. If Death weren’t heartless, AbdulLateef Oladimeji Adegbite (“Adaba”; b. 1933 and d. 2012) should be…

Ogun State Government, in collaboration with national bodies, says it is intensifying efforts to sensitize officials on the importance of adhering to data protection laws.  The state Governor, Dapo Abiodun emphasized this necessity during the opening of a one-day workshop themed “Data Protection Act Compliance – An Imperative for A Vibrant Digital Economy.” PLATFORM TIMES reports that the workshop, held at the MITROS Banquet Hall in Abeokuta, aimed to educate government officials on the intricacies of the Data Protection Bill signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on June 12, 2023.  With the participation of the Ogun Bureau of Information…

Enoch Oyedibu Residents of Royal Gardens Estate on Lekki-Epe Expressway gathered en masse on Thursday to protest arbitrary charges, lack of transparency, accountability, and the use of bulk metering within the estate by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company in collusion with Trojan Estate Limited. The developers of the estate, Trojan Estate, currently managed by Rilwan Olakunle Tinubu, are alleged to have violated the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) 2015 regulations, which nullify the use of bulk metering in households under Sam Amadi, its former boss. The Commission agreed in 2015 with the Nigerian Senate’s position on the need to eliminate…

Daud Olatunji & Enoch Oyedibu The Debt Management Office (DMO) recently released a comprehensive report highlighting the staggering debt burden of the six Southwest states in Nigeria.  According to a document obtained, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Lagos, Ekiti, and Ondo states  collectively owe a whopping N4.4 trillion.  Breaking down the numbers provided by the DMO, the debt is categorized into domestic and external components.  PLATFORM TIMES reports that Domestic debt across the states amounts to N1.8 trillion, while external debt stands at a staggering N2.6 trillion, equivalent to N1.7 billion dollars.  Notably, the depreciation of the naira against the dollar has…

A transformative bill that proposes a return to a regional government structure in Nigeria is currently under consideration by the National Assembly.  Expected to be enacted by October 1, 2024, this bill aims to overhaul the nation’s governance model, reverting to a system that grants greater autonomy to Nigeria’s diverse regions. The draft bill, which has generated considerable discussion on social media, is titled “A Bill for an Act to Substitute the Annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with a New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”  If passed, it would become known as the Constitution of the…

The Global Fund has allocated a significant grant of $933 million to Nigeria under its Grant Cycle 7 (GC7), spanning from 2024 to 2026.  This substantial funding aims to address the pervasive public health challenges posed by HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), and Malaria in the country. Of the total amount, $340,095,438 is specifically earmarked for HIV-related initiatives. The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) will receive $10,663,394 to spearhead the coordination of a comprehensive, multisectoral response to the HIV epidemic. NACA disclosed this development on Friday through a press statement signed by its Head of Public Relations and Protocol,…

In the aftermath of a violent ambush that left five soldiers dead at a checkpoint in Abia State, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has categorically denied any involvement in the attack. The separatist group’s spokesperson, Emma Powerful, issued a statement distancing IPOB from the incident and pointing to political elements as the real culprits. The attack occurred on Thursday, coinciding with the day IPOB designated to commemorate Biafra Day. Gunmen ambushed a military checkpoint, opening fire and resulting in the tragic deaths of the soldiers. Despite the timing, IPOB has refuted any connections to the violent act. “Those responsible…

The Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists have issued a chilling ultimatum to residents of Kukawa Local Government Area (LGA), demanding they vacate their communities or face death. This threat comes just four days after ISWAP militants brutally murdered fifteen fishermen in the Tumbun Rogo community. A resident, who escaped to Maiduguri shortly after receiving the threat, shared his harrowing experience with Channels Television on the condition of anonymity.  He recounted that in the early hours of Thursday, ISWAP terrorists gathered residents from various communities within the LGA and ordered them to leave by Saturday, or be killed.…

The Defence Headquarters of Nigeria has vowed a fierce and overwhelming retaliation against the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) following the killing of five soldiers in Abia State on Thursday.  The soldiers were ambushed and killed by gunmen enforcing a sit-at-home order issued by IPOB to commemorate the Igbo people who died during the Nigerian Civil War from 1967 to 1970. In an official statement released on Friday, Major General Edward Buba, the Director of Defence Media Operations, accused IPOB and its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), of perpetrating the attack.  He emphasized that the military’s response would…

The Abia State Government has announced a N25 million bounty for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the killing of five soldiers in the Aba area.  This action comes in response to a violent attack on a military unit at Obikabia Junction, Ogbor Hill, where gunmen stormed the site, killing soldiers, burning the unit, and setting ablaze a patrol van. In the wake of the attack, some soldiers reportedly escaped, but the state government has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life.  In a statement, the government condoled with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen.…