Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji In a historic move, the kingmakers of Idowa in Ogun State  have unanimously selected Barrister Prince Sikiru Okuribido as the heir to the vacant Dagburewe  stool.  Okuribido’s choice followed the demise of the late Dagburewe of Idowa, Oba Yinusa Oladele Adekoya who  joined his ancestors on Sunday March 12, 2023  at the  age of 87 . Okuribido was chosen by the kingmakers eight months after the first monarch in the kingdom joined his  ancestors. Born into the Anowoneyo ruling house of Idowa in the sixties, Barrister Okuribido brings a wealth of education and experience to his new role.…

Daud Olatunji The Ogun State government, spearheaded by Governor Dapo Abiodun, has allocated a substantial N2,664,268,190.03 towards travel and transport expenses spanning the years 2021 to 2022. This revelation was unearthed by PLATFORM TIMES through an analysis of financial statements  prepared by the Accountant-General/Permanent Secretary, Tunde Aregbesola, with the document dated April 28, 2023. The detailed breakdown of these expenditures surfaced through an official statement accessible on the Ogun government portal and scrutinized by PLATFORM TIMES on Friday, November 24, 2023. In 2022, the government disbursed a significant N1,208,017,543.51 for both local and foreign travels and transport, following a trend…

In a decisive move, the Nigerian Law School has banned Baze University in Abuja from admitting students into its Law Faculty for five years, citing consistent violations of the approved admission quota.  The decision was announced following a quarterly meeting of the Council of Legal Education (CLE) on November 23, 2023. Baze University, founded by Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the running mate to the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, faced the ban due to a significant backlog of 347 law students waiting for admission to the Nigerian Law School.  The university had continuously exceeded its quota of 50 students per…

 Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), has disclosed a startling statistic, saying, 99% of Nigerians in Ethiopian prisons are there for drug trafficking offenses.  This revelation followed a previous amnesty granted by the Nigerian Mission in Ethiopia, where individuals were released, only to return and commit the same crimes. Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Dabiri-Erewa while addressing  a viral video claiming that 250 Nigerians faced imminent danger of being killed in Ethiopian prisons,vehemently dismissed the allegations.  She clarified that less than 150 Nigerians were incarcerated in one prison, with…

Daud Olatunji In a horrifying incident that unfolded on Thursday evening, Hon Smith Chiedoziem Anyanwu, the chairman of the People Democratic Party (PDP) for Ife/Akpodim/Chokoneze Ward in Ezinihitte Mbaise local government area of Imo State, fell victim to an orchestrated assassination. The assailants, yet to be identified, executed a chilling plan, arriving on a motorbike to the peaceful confines of Anyanwu’s country home. What makes this tragedy even more shocking is the inadvertent role played by the victim’s wife in leading the gunmen to her husband. An eyewitness, who opted to remain anonymous, detailed the harrowing sequence of events,saying, “the…

 Dr Gambo Aliyu, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), has  revealed that an estimated 1.8 million Nigerians are currently living with HIV. Of this staggering number, approximately 1.63 million individuals are undergoing treatment with Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). PLATFORM TIMES gathered that a press briefing was held in Abuja on Fridayto mark World AIDS Day which is observed annually on December 1, serves as a global initiative to prevent new infections, enhance HIV awareness, and commemorate those affected by the disease. The theme for this year, “Communities: Leadership to End AIDS by 2030,” underscores the…

Daud Olatunji The  Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has  expressed concern over the acute manpower shortage in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), noting that the current workload often requires one officer to perform the duties of two. Addressing officers at the Kwara State Police Command,In a one-day working visit to the state  Egbetokun highlighted the challenges faced by the force. “With approximately 370,000 officers in the Force, it’s evident that there’s a shortage of manpower. “One policeman today does the job of two policemen,” he emphasized during his visit to the command’s headquarters in Ilorin on Friday. The…

Daud Olatunji Dangote Cement Plc’s Group Managing Director, Mr. Arvind Pathak, has attributed a compelling vision for sustainable cement production as a key strategy in combating climate change.  Pathak said this at the 12th Africa Cement Trade Summit, organized by the Singapore-based Center for Management, brought together industry leaders to discuss the pressing challenges facing the cement sector. In his presentation titled “Utilisation of Alternative Fuels as a Strategy for Sustainable Cement Production in Africa,” Pathak emphasized the imperative of decarbonization in the cement industry.  He highlighted the energy-intensive nature of cement production and underscored the pivotal role of alternative…

Daud Olatunji In a landmark decision, the Bayelsa State High Court has convicted Professor Saviour Nathan Agoro, the former Provost of Isaac Jasper College of Education, Sagbama, and the institution’s former accountant, Perez Lakemfa, over a staggering N285 million fraud. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) successfully pursued charges under sections 12 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000. The charges included Agoro knowingly acquiring direct private interest in a contract awarded to a company where he is a director.  The presiding judge, Justice D.E Adekeme, found Agoro guilty on multiple…

In the past four years, the Federal Government of Nigeria has allocated a staggering N231.27 billion towards the procurement of arms and ammunition, aiming to bolster the capabilities of the nation’s security agencies.  Despite this substantial investment, security challenges persist, prompting scrutiny and calls for strategic reassessment. The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, defended the substantial budget, highlighting the nation’s reliance on foreign purchases due to the absence of a domestic military hardware manufacturing capacity.  He explained that the funds, often perceived as substantial in naira, were significantly diminished when converted into dollars, emphasizing the high costs associated…