Author: Platform Times Newspaper

… BudgIT Urges Nigerians To Track Every Naira Sent To Councils — Only 17 Of 191 Water, Sanitation Projects In Cross River, Kano Funded Daud Olatunji Local Government Councils received a staggering ₦3.04tn from the Federation Account Allocation Committee between January and June 2026, but a BudgIT Foundation analysis has raised fresh concerns about whether public funds are translating into tangible services and infrastructure at the grassroots. The civic-tech organisation has consequently urged Nigerians to move beyond simply knowing how much money their councils receive and begin tracking how the funds are budgeted, released, spent and ultimately converted into projects…

Ayomide Awe Senate President Godswill Akpabio has rejected calls for President Bola Tinubu to formally transfer presidential powers to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, insisting that there is no vacancy in the presidency and that Tinubu remains in charge of the country. Akpabio made the position known on Tuesday in Akwa Ibom State amid renewed debate over the constitutional implications of Tinubu’s extended stay outside Nigeria. Tinubu left Nigeria on August 30 for London before proceeding to Paris on what the Presidency described as a three-week working vacation. The Presidency subsequently announced that his return had been extended by a few days…

Zainab Abioye Vice President Kashim Shettima has challenged African countries to end the longstanding practice of exporting raw mineral resources and instead retain greater value through local processing, manufacturing and industrialisation. Shettima said Africa could not continue to describe itself as rich in natural resources while communities sitting on mineral deposits remained poor and deprived of basic infrastructure and economic opportunities. The Vice President made the call in New York while representing President Bola Tinubu at the third High-Level Roundtable of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly. The roundtable, focused…

Toyyibat Qasim A 30-year-old man, identified as Okpara Emmanuel, has been arrested by the Enugu State Police Command for allegedly killing his girlfriend following an argument over the source of a Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. The victim, identified only as Chinyere, was reportedly found dead in the suspect’s apartment at Olympic Layout, One-Day, Enugu. The incident, according to the police, occurred on September 19, 2026, while the suspect was arrested two days later after neighbours reportedly detected an offensive odour emanating from his residence. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed the development in a statement issued…

…Children have spent over 130 days in captivity … ‘Rescue our children or we’ll take over streets of Presidential Villa’ …Parents question disparity in response to school abductions Daud Olatunji Parents and community leaders in Mussa and Lassa communities in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State have given the Federal Government a six-day ultimatum to secure the release of 36 students abducted from Government Day Secondary School, Lassa. The parents, who protested on Monday over the continued captivity of the students, threatened to march on the Presidential Villa, Abuja, if the children were not rescued within the period. The…

Daud Olatunji Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, has raised the alarm over the growing involvement of children in artisanal mining, saying some male pupils are abandoning junior secondary schools after being attracted by the money they make from mining. Bago said the situation had become a major challenge for the state, warning that continued involvement of children in artisanal mining could have serious implications for education and the future workforce of the state. The governor disclosed this while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, where he described artisanal mining as a “menace” in Niger State. His comments came against…

Zainab Abioye Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement, Seyi Makinde, has called for the removal of mining from Nigeria’s Exclusive Legislative List, arguing that states should be given greater control over mineral resources within their territories. Makinde made the call on Tuesday at the APM North-West town hall meeting in Katsina, against the backdrop of the deaths of 37 alleged illegal miners while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State. The governor argued that the current constitutional arrangement, which places mines and minerals under federal legislative jurisdiction, should…

The Federal Government has warned that anyone found attempting to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or frustrate investigations into the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State will face prosecution. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, issued the warning on Tuesday in Abuja while inaugurating a 10-member independent investigative committee constituted to unravel the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the detainees in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Tunji-Ojo directed the NSCDC leadership and all officers connected with the incident to preserve and surrender all relevant documents, records and material evidence to the…

Grace Adeleke Electricity workers under the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC) have threatened to shut down electricity operations nationwide following the alleged assault and arrest of 10 employees of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company in Bauchi State by personnel of the Nigerian Air Force. The union issued a three-day ultimatum to the authorities, demanding urgent intervention and action over the alleged incident. The ultimatum, which commenced on Monday, September 21, is expected to expire on Wednesday, September 23. The National Deputy President of SSAEAC, Rilwanu Shehu, disclosed this during a protest in Bauchi over the alleged…

Mujeeb Akindoyin A convicted fake Nigerian Army general, Bolarinwa Oluwasegun Abiodun, has reportedly been assaulted by correctional officers at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre in Lagos and subsequently rushed to a military hospital for medical attention. Bolarinwa, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence over a N266.5m fraud and forgery case, was allegedly attacked inside his cell while he was sleeping. A source familiar with the development, who spoke to SaharaReporters, alleged that warders entered Bolarinwa’s cell and assaulted him during an operation reportedly linked to a search for a mobile phone. According to the source, the incident left Bolarinwa injured…