Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji Former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has mourned the death of renowned communication scholar, veteran journalist and former Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Professor Idowu  Sobowale, describing his passing as a major loss to Nigeria’s media, academic and education sectors. Sobowale reportedly died on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the age of 85. Amosun, in a condolence statement issued by his media office, said the late professor made outstanding contributions to journalism practice, communication scholarship and education administration in Nigeria. He described Sobowale as a distinguished professional whose career, spanning journalism, academia and public service, left a…

…Seeks Probe Of N350m Medical Equipment Supply, N500m Ayetoro Hospital Project …Flags Two Itori Primary Healthcare Centre Allocations Worth N420m, Demands Procurement Records Daud Olatunji The Ogun Good Governance Forum (OGGF) has raised questions over the implementation of four health-related projects listed in the 2026 Appropriation Act, with a combined budgetary allocation of N1.27bn, and threatened to petition anti-graft agencies over the projects. The group called on Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, to clarify his alleged links to the projects and provide relevant explanations, while announcing plans to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent…

Ayomide Awe The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation has paid N1.48bn to 10,312 depositors of 47 recently closed microfinance banks as part of measures to protect depositors and sustain confidence in Nigeria’s financial system. The payments, made as of July 31, 2026, covered depositors of several failed microfinance banks, including Abia SME Microfinance Bank, Frontline Microfinance Bank and Goldman Microfinance Bank. The NDIC Managing Director, Thompson Sunday, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday during the corporation’s 2026 Customer Service Week celebration, themed, “Go the Extra Mile.” Sunday explained that the corporation deployed the Bank Verification Number system to identify depositors and…

Toyyibat Qasim A 33-year-old man, Monsuru Musa, has been arrested for allegedly impersonating his father and writing a promotion examination on his behalf for an employee of the Federal Capital Territory Administration. The incident occurred on Wednesday, during the ongoing promotion examination organised by the FCT Civil Service Commission for workers seeking career advancement within the administration. Musa was reportedly caught at an examination centre located within the premises of the National Open University of Nigeria, where he allegedly presented himself as his father, Musa Mohammed, an employee of the FCT Fire Service. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the arrest followed…

Amidat AbdulFatai The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, has said the command is not aware of any ransom payment for the release of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and another victim abducted in the state. Bosso, who disclosed this during an interview with Channels Television on Thursday, said the abductors eventually released the victims after coming under intense pressure from security agencies conducting a coordinated search-and-rescue operation. The victims were abducted on October 1 along the Owerri-Onitsha Road while travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. The abduction…

….FG Warns Subsidy Could Cost N20trn Yearly, Push Pump Price To N2,000 ….Minister Says N15.8trn Saved From Subsidy Removal …Talakawa Rejects 30-Day NNPCL Discount, Says Nigerians Need Permanent Relief Daud Olatunji The Federal Government has warned that restoring petrol subsidy could cost Nigeria more than N20 trillion annually, as a human rights organisation, the Talakawa Parliament, rejected the administration’s proposed 30-day petrol discount and demanded the immediate return of subsidy. The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, gave the warning on Thursday during a press briefing in Abuja on the rising cost of petrol and…

Firdaus Obiremi Troops of the Nigerian Army, Operation Hadin Kai, have reportedly arrested a Yobe State-based politician, Alhaji Wakiil Goni Mama, popularly known as Mai Salati, over alleged links to logistics activities supporting Islamic State West Africa Province elements operating in the North-East. The politician was reportedly arrested after military intelligence uncovered an alleged attempt to induce soldiers with money to secure the release of suspects detained over suspected terrorist logistics activities in Kanamma, Yobe State. According to a report by security analyst Zagazola Makama on X, the arrest followed intelligence-led operations involving the Commander of Sector 2 and troops…

Daud Olatunji Former Rivers State Governor and African Democratic Congress Vice Presidential candidate, Rotimi Amaechi, has sparked controversy after describing Nigerians who intend to vote for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election as “mad.” Amaechi made the statement on Wednesday while addressing an ADC stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Edo State, where he urged residents to reject Tinubu and support the opposition party in the forthcoming election. “Only mad people will vote for Tinubu. If Edo people vote for President Tinubu, that means Edo people are mad. If you’re not mad, Tinubu should not win here,” he said.…

Toyyibat Qasim Residents of Yan Buki community in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State have reportedly paid about ₦50 million to a camp allegedly linked to notorious bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, to secure the release of abducted residents and meet financial demands imposed on the community. The payment was reportedly made on Wednesday amid continued insecurity in parts of the state, where rural communities have faced repeated attacks, abductions, ransom demands and other forms of intimidation by armed criminal groups. A security alert expert, Bakatsine, who disclosed the development on Thursday, said the huge amount was raised by residents…

The mother of one of the prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, Imo State, has revealed that she paid N6 million ransom to secure her son’s release. The woman, whose identity was withheld during an interview with News Central Television on Wednesday, said the kidnappers initially demanded N50 million for each of their victims before eventually reducing the ransom demanded from her family to N6 million. She said the abductors initially refused pleas for a lower ransom, leaving families of the victims scrambling to raise money for the release of their loved ones.…