Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A People’s Democratic Party Chieftain in Ogun State, Otunba Segun Showunmi has extended heartfelt praise to the governorship candidate of the party in the state, Hon Ladi Adebutu for his leadership style during and after the last elections. Acknowledging the party’s historical struggles, Showunmi who hails from Ogun Central, reflects on the seemingly insurmountable challenges faced by the PDP in Ogun State, particularly in Ogun Central. He credits Adebutu for orchestrating a remarkable shift in the party’s fortune, breaking a dry spell that persisted since 2007. Showunmi candidly labels the 2007 victory as a “spectacle of ugliness” and notes the…

Lubabatu Yusuf Samaila, a 20-year-old housewife from Bauchi, expressed anguish over the detention of her husband after filing a rape complaint against Deputy Immigration Superintendent Sani Muazu, who also happened to be her husband’s benefactor. The harrowing incident occurred on December 9, 2023, when Muazu allegedly assaulted Lubabatu in her home, callously ignoring her pleas to stop the act, even in the presence of her traumatised children. Lubabatu recounted, “Muazu came to my house, hugged me, and touched my breasts. Despite my resistance, he proceeded to assault me, all while my small children watched in horror.” She continued to narrate…

The Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC) says 106 fathers abandoned their children in Gombe State in 2023. The Public Relations Officer of the commission in the state, Ali Alola-Alfinti, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe on Friday. He expressed concern over the “increasing cases of child abandonment in the state,” saying it had become a cause for concern for the commission.  Alola-Alfinti said out of 280 complaints treated by the commission in 2023, 106 were on paternal abandonment, representing 37.9 per cent of the total cases treated in the year. He…

The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has disclosed that about 20,000 babies have been born into conditions beyond belief in Gaza since the war with Israel started more than three months ago. This was made known by the UNICEF spokeswoman, Tess Ingram, when she came back from a recent visit to the Gaza Strip, AFP reports. She stated that mothers were bleeding to death, adding that one nurse had performed emergency caesareans on six dead women. “Nearly 20,000 babies have been born into the war that began after the Hamas attacks inside Israel on October 7, according to…

 Justice Musa Ubale of the Jigawa State High Court, Birnin Kudu, has pronounced life sentences for two individuals convicted of heinous crimes. Habibu Haruna, a 25-year-old resident of Basirka town, Gwaram Local Government Area, has been found guilty of rape.  The court heard how he lured a 14-year-old girl into his wife’s room, forcibly silencing her, and engaging in unlawful acts. The prosecution presented a robust case with five witnesses and three exhibits, leaving no room for doubt.  Relying on the provisions of Section 3 Sub-Sections 2 and 4 of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, No 2 Laws of…

The Centre for Social Justice, Equity, and Transparency (CESJET) on Friday,  asked Olayemi Cardoso, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,to resign  due to alleged incompetence and a lack of vision for steering the nation’s economic transformation. The Executive Secretary of CESJET, Dr. Toyin Dawodu, during a press conference described Cardoso as  clueless and unprepared for the demands of his role.  The group expressed dissatisfaction with the persistent decline of the Naira and criticized the Central Bank’s policy, stating that the unification of exchange rates failed to address Nigeria’s currency challenges. Dawodu further emphasised that the Central Bank’s policy…

The management team of the late Nigerian musician, Ilerioluwa Promise Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has initiated legal proceedings against his father, Mr Joseph Aloba, by filing a N200 million defamation suit. In a recent interview, Mohbad’s father disclosed that his 26-year-old son left behind a thumbprint-only will that lacked a signature. Contrary to these claims, Mohbad’s management issued a statement dismissing the allegations, deeming the purported will as unprecedented and unreal. The dispute has intensified as Mohbad’s father now faces legal consequences from the musician’s management. In an official letter, the management has insisted that Mohbad’s father retract what…

Nigeria witnessed a substantial repatriation of N795.48 billion by foreign airlines within the first half of the year in 2023, as per data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Data compiled by the apex bank’s Balance of Payment reveals that airlines debited $1.76 billion (converted at N451/$) during the first and second quarters of 2023. The Balance of Payment account received a total credit of $19.39 million (N8.75 billion) from airline travel. Breaking down the debit side of the balance, expenditures on tickets by passengers amounted to N779.61 billion, cargo accounted for $10.22 billion, and other expenses totaled N5.65…

Daud Olatunji In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decisive judgment on the 2023 Governorship Election in Ogun State, the Peoples Democratic Party has accepted the verdict of the Apex court, saying, another opportunity would soon present  itself . The party stated this in its statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of PDP in the  State,Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole,  affirming   it’s  commitment to democracy and expressing determination to bounce back in future elections. The PDP acknowledged the constitutional closure of the matter, recognizing the Apex Court’s affirmation that the petitioners failed to provide sufficient evidence challenging the reelection of Governor…

Elder Statesman and Pan-Niger Delta Forum Leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has lambasted the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, asserting that it propelled Nigeria five decades backward during his eight-year tenure. Clark criticised the Buhari administration for its perceived lack of direction, abysmal failure, heightened insecurity, and economic collapse.  His remarks were prompted by the launch of a book titled “Working with Buhari: Reflections of A Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023)” authored by Buhari’s former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina. Expressing disapproval of Buhari’s self-praise during the book launch, Clark emphasised that the majority of Nigerians…