Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji The Akwa Ibom State High Court, sitting in Uyo, has issued an arrest warrant for  Itoro Monday Uko of Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area for contempt of court.   Uko stands accused of abandoning his wife and two-year-old daughter in the village to reside with his girlfriend in Ikot Ekpene Town. Presiding judge, Justice Ntong Ntong, acted upon the request of Barrister Ekom Friday Inwang, representing the applicant and mother of the child.  The applicant, a private school teacher, highlighted Mr. Uko’s neglect of parental and financial responsibilities, including his failure to repay a loan of N200,000 borrowed to…

Daud Olatunji The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has strongly denounced what it called  the brazen assault on the Oyo State Government Secretariat in Ibadan by individuals donned in military camouflage.  Describing the incident as a “Coup d’Etat,” Chief Oladipo Oyewole, Secretary-General of the YCE, emphasized the barbarity and unwarranted nature of the attack. “The YCE unequivocally condemns this unlawful invasion in its entirety,” declared Chief Oyewole.  “Yoruba land and our inherited culture abhor violence. The Yorubaman upholds decorum and dialogue over forceful takeovers.” The YCE calls for the swift intervention of the Federal Government of Nigeria to apprehend and…

  Esther Olaitan Ogundipe* The degeneration in Nigeria’s educational system is a reflection of the general social malaise and deterioration that pervades every facet of national life. Nigeria is an exemplar of maladministration and misgovernance.   It has been raped, maimed and exploited.  Foreigners ruthlessly feed on her while the country’s gate keepers fiddle. They loot her treasures and expropriate her goods. Visionless leaders govern her on impulses and caprices.  She enriches others yet remains impoverished.  Nigeria has remained dependent since attaining independence. She is foreign-dependent – from toothpick to its native fabric which she now imports.  Even her nature-endowed oil…

Daud Olatunji The Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre in London, Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, has expressed grave concern over the escalating poverty and hunger plaguing the nation. The cleric said this in a compelling message delivered at the 60th birthday celebration of the Founder and Lead Pastor of Victory Life Bible Church International, Apostle  Lawrence  Achudume.  Urging leaders to take immediate action, Pastor Ashimolowo warned of the impending danger posed by the widening gap between the affluent and the impoverished. During his address in Abeokuta, Pastor Ashimolowo emphasized the urgent need for government intervention to address the rampant poverty…

Fawaz Adebisi The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA has revealed that in three years, 1,057.33348 hectares of cannabis farmland was destroyed as 50,901 perpetrators were also arrested. The chairman of the agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa revealed this on Monday while at the commissioning and handing over ceremony of an operational facility built and donated to NDLEA by the British government in Lagos. Marwa added that within the period, the agency prosecuted and convicted 9,034 of the perpetrators, seize 7,561 tonnes of illicit substances as well as 46 drug barons. In his words, the development has sent the right…

Fawaz Adebisi The South-West Caucus of the House of Representatives have described the acts of some recent agitators of Yoruba Nation as threat to the peace and stability of the region. In a statement signed, jointly, on Monday by the Chairman, Secretary, and Deputy Chief Whip of the caucus, James Faleke, Taofeek Ajilesoro, and Adewunmi Onanuga, respectively, the lawmakers totally condemned the act, calling for quick dialogue in addressing any grievances that led to the invasion. Recall that some masked men in military uniforms, armed with rifles and charms invaded the Oyo State Governor’s Office and the State House of…

Febe Falodun Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, highlighted leadership and not fuel subsidy removal or exchange rate, as Nigeria’s major problem. He made this statement during his speech at the Capacity-Enhancement Workshop for Senior Government Officials of Borno State on Monday. The workshop, with the theme ‘Enhancing Skills of Government Officials in Policy Implementation and Productive Human Resource Management’, took place in Maiduguri, the state capital. Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, the lead presenter at the workshop, shared that he has only visited Kaduna State five times since leaving almost a year ago. He mentioned that he prefers not to…

Deborah Hundenu The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday, says inflation rate has increased from 31.70% in February 2024 to 33.20% in March 2024. According to the Inflation Report in March 2024, the Bureau in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) says, the inflation rate showed an increase of 1.50% points related to the previous month. However, the NBS also indicated that on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate within March 2024 was 3.02%, which was 0.10% lower than the rate recorded in February 2024 (3.12%). The Bureau furthermore explained that this means in March 2024, the rate of…

Jelili Gbadamosi Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger Republic have pooled €100 million to bolster the agricultural resilience of small-scale farmers in the Sahel region, aiming to combat desertification and land degradation. The initiative, announced by the International Fertilizer Development Centre, seeks to integrate soil, water, and biodiversity management through participatory planning. It was gathered that In 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organization warned of a looming food crisis affecting 26.5 million Nigerians by mid-2024, with states like Borno, Sokoto, Zamfara, and the Federal Capital Territory at higher risk due to insecurity and other challenges. The initiative aims…

Fawaz Adebisi The Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN has restored the national grid that collapsed in River State earlier today. This development comes four hours after a fire incident occured at the Afam Power Generating Station, resulting to total blackout in some states in the country. According to a statement by the spokesperson for the commission, Ndidi Mbah, the collapse led to the tripping of units at Afam III and Afam VI. He further noted that the fire incident destabilized the grid, causing partial collapse. “The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) announces the full restoration of the national grid following…