Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government on Friday defended its decision to install a ₦10bn solar power system at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, citing the unsustainable ₦47bn annual electricity bill as a key motivation. Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja. He said the move was part of efforts to cut governance costs and align with President Bola Tinubu’s clean energy transition agenda. “This initiative will not only ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Villa, it will also drastically reduce dependence on the national grid, foster innovation, and create jobs for Nigerian…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has confiscated over N800 million worth of banned pesticides in a series of coordinated raids carried out across Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo States. This operation, aimed at curbing the illegal distribution of hazardous agrochemicals, led to the seizure of 551 cartons of toxic pesticides across more than 16 retail outlets. The banned substances, including Chlorpyrifos, Paraquat, and Atrazine, were found to contain highly dangerous chemicals that pose severe health risks. NAFDAC has warned that these pesticides are not only carcinogenic but can also lead to respiratory failure, liver…

The President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has raised alarm over the impact of inflation on the N70,000 minimum wage approved by President Bola Tinubu’s government, emphasizing that rising costs are severely affecting the purchasing power of Nigerian workers. Ajaero, speaking at the quadrennial delegates conference of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Abuja, decried the escalating costs of essential services, particularly electricity tariffs and taxes, which now surpass the approved minimum wage. “This is a period where the tax on your salaries is almost higher than the minimum wage increase on the salaries,” Ajaero said. “It…

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced the arrest of 27 individuals for impersonation in the ongoing 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), reaffirming its zero-tolerance stance on malpractice. The board, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, on Friday, disclosed that the suspects had been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force for immediate prosecution. “These impostors were apprehended during the ongoing UTME across various centres. We remain committed to preserving the integrity of the examination process,” the statement read. In a separate move to uphold examination standards, JAMB also delisted four Computer-Based Test…

Telecommunications giant, MTN Group, has confirmed a cybersecurity breach that exposed personal data of customers in certain markets, raising concerns over data protection and cyber resilience across the continent. In a statement issued on Thursday, MTN said an “unknown third party” had gained unauthorised access to specific parts of its systems, although the company insisted that its core infrastructure — including network operations, billing systems and financial platforms — remained intact and secure. “At this stage, we do not have any information to suggest that customers’ accounts and wallets have been directly compromised,” the company said, while reassuring the public…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared four individuals wanted in connection with an alleged $1 billion cryptocurrency fraud perpetrated through Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX), a digital trading platform. The suspects, identified as Adefowora Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, and Seyi Oloyede, were declared wanted on Friday. The anti-graft agency made the announcement via its official social media channels, appealing to members of the public with useful information on the whereabouts of the suspects to come forward. “The public is hereby notified that the persons whose photographs appear above are wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission…

The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation and Safety Corps, popularly known as So-Safe Corps, has arrested a 24-year-old man, Aliyu Umaru, for allegedly vandalising and stealing underground electrification cables at the Gateway Stadium in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State. The arrest was disclosed in a statement issued by the Office of the State Commander of So-Safe Corps, Commander (Dr.) Soji Ganzallo, and signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Assistant Commander Moruf Yusuf. According to the statement, operatives attached to the Ilaro Area Command were on routine patrol around 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April…

The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal has upheld the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Incorporated by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), marking a major victory for Nigeria’s consumer protection regime. In a statement on Friday, the FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, confirmed the Tribunal’s ruling, which also awarded the Commission $35,000 in investigation costs. The Tribunal, led by Honourable Thomas Okosun, affirmed that the FCCPC acted within its legal mandate under the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018. It held that the Commission’s investigative procedures…

The Bauchi State Police Command has successfully uncovered a human trafficking syndicate and arrested a member of the gang. The Spokesman of the command CSP Ahmed Wakil, told newsmen on Friday in Bauchi According to him, on April 19, a concerned mother from Unguwan Kusu, Yelwa, reported to the ‘E’ Division Police Headquarters that her 19-year-old daughter had been lured away with a false promise of employment in Lagos State. “Investigations revealed that the young woman was deceived by a 26-year-old suspect and handed over to an unidentified woman known as “Mama,” who trafficked her to Burkina Faso for…

The Executive Chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government Area, Hon. Damilare Sikiru Alebiosu, has donated food items to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Ogun State Orientation Camp. The donation, which includes 20 full bags of garri, five 50kg bags of rice, and a live cow, was made shortly after the official swearing-in ceremony of the 2025 Batch A Stream I corps members held at the Gateway International Stadium, Sagamu. Hon. Alebiosu, who was among the dignitaries present at the event, said the gesture was part of his promise to support the welfare of corps members and encourage their patriotic…