Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Nigerian Society of Engineers has taken a major step towards operational efficiency and sustainability with the commissioning of a 6000W/10KWh solar-powered inverter system and an 18-seater Ford Transit bus for its Abeokuta Branch, PLATFORM TIMES reports. The projects were inaugurated on Tuesday at the branch secretariat, with the President of the NSE, Mrs Margaret Oguntala, leading the ceremony. The Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Public Works, Babatunde Adesina, performed the symbolic tape-cutting for the solar installation. Oguntala described the newly commissioned assets as strategic investments aimed at strengthening the Society’s capacity, improving service delivery and promoting…

Aishah Waliyyulah  The Ogun State Teaching Service Commission has defended its newly introduced whistleblower policy, insisting that public secondary schools in the state have enough teachers but suffer from poor distribution, particularly between urban and rural areas. The TESCOM Chairman, Mr Abiodun Sanyaolu, said the policy was designed to strengthen discipline, accountability and real-time monitoring of teachers, not to witch-hunt staff, as critics have suggested. Sanyaolu spoke during an interaction with journalists, where he clarified that while the Ministry of Education is responsible for education policy and infrastructure, TESCOM remains the employer and regulator of secondary school teachers, with oversight…

Billionaire industrialist and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), calling for the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, over alleged corruption and financial impropriety. In the petition dated December 16 and addressed to the ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), Dangote accused the NMDPRA boss of living far above his lawful income as a public officer, alleging that Ahmed spent more than $7m on the education of his four children in Switzerland…

The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has commenced the payment of insured deposits to customers of the defunct Aso Savings and Loans Plc and Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc following the revocation of their operating licences by the Central Bank of Nigeria. The NDIC, which has been appointed liquidator of the two mortgage banks, said eligible depositors would receive up to ₦2m per account as insured deposits, assuring that balances above the threshold would be settled later as liquidation dividends after the recovery of assets and outstanding loans. In a statement on Monday, the corporation urged affected customers to submit…

Tragedy struck the Maraba Quarters area of Kano on Monday morning when an elderly Islamic cleric, Ladan Zubairu, was brutally murdered inside a mosque while calling worshippers to the dawn prayer. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the cleric was at the Yusuf Garko Mosque performing the first adhan (call to prayer) when the assailant struck. Witnesses said the attacker entered the mosque shortly after the first call and launched a violent attack on the cleric as he sat briefly to recite supplications ahead of the second call. Confirming the incident, the deceased’s son, Isa Kasim, told journalists that his father’s throat…

Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State is set to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, citing deepening internal crises and mounting political risks within the opposition party, his aide has said. The governor’s Political Adviser, Istifanus Nwansat, disclosed the planned defection on Monday in Abuja, saying the decision followed a careful assessment of the prevailing political realities ahead of future electoral contests. According to him, the protracted leadership crisis rocking the PDP has weakened the party’s capacity to offer a viable platform for serious political actors, making continued stay increasingly unsafe for elected officials.…

… Says Fiscal Reforms, Digital Drive Surge …2025 Inflows Already Exceed Full-Year Figures Of Past Two Years Daud Olatunji The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission has reported a significant surge in Nigeria’s federation account, with total accruals rising to N23.06tn between January and October 2025, surpassing full-year revenues recorded in previous years. The Chairman of the commission, Mohammed Shehu, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a two-day national stakeholders’ discourse on “Enhancing Fiscal Efficiency and Revenue Growth under the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025.” Shehu said the latest figure marked a sharp improvement on the N11.93tn recorded in 2023…

…Emergency Powers Valid Where Governance Collapses …Court Affirms Suspension Of  Gov, Lawmakers The Supreme Court on Monday affirmed the constitutional authority of the President to suspend elected governors and impose emergency rule in any state where public order and safety have broken down, provided such action is taken strictly within the ambit of the law. In a landmark judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Idris, the apex court, in a 6–1 majority decision, upheld President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the temporary suspension of Governor Similayi Fubara. The court anchored its ruling on Section…

The Federal Government has disclosed plans to roll over about 70 per cent of the 2025 Appropriation Act into the 2026 fiscal year, citing funding gaps and the need to stabilise budget implementation. The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, made this known on Monday during a one-day interactive session between the Senate Committee on Finance and members of President Bola Tinubu’s economic team on the 2026–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP). Edun explained that only about 30 per cent of the 2025 budget had been fully funded so far,…

The Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a suit seeking to nullify the Acts establishing the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), affirming the constitutionality of government-backed religious pilgrimage bodies. Justice Akintayo Aluko, in a judgment delivered on Monday, held that the applicant, Human Rights and Empowerment Project Ltd/Gte, failed to place credible evidence before the court to prove that the statutes violated Sections 10 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which prohibit the adoption of a state religion and guarantee freedom from discrimination. The applicant had approached the court…