Author: Platform Times Newspaper

An Ebonyi-born businessman, Comrade Jeremiah Obaji, has trekked for 17 days from Lagos to Abakaliki to express gratitude to Governor Francis Nwifuru for brokering peace in the protracted Ezza–Effium communal crisis. Obaji, who began the 600-kilometre journey from Ikorodu, Lagos, on August 21, arrived Abakaliki on September 7, saying the sacrifice was his way of appreciating the governor’s intervention in restoring peace to the crisis-ridden Ohaukwu Local Government Area. Narrating his ordeal to journalists in the Ebonyi State capital on Tuesday, the peace enthusiast recalled battling hunger, fatigue, insect bites, and severe blisters that forced him to abandon his jeans…

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, on Tuesday reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to tackling sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) as she paid a working visit to the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Sulaiman-Ibrahim, who described violence against women and girls as a “community crisis that undermines peace, family life, and development,” said the Ministry was implementing new social intervention programmes under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to protect survivors and empower women. Citing alarming national statistics, the minister said “31 percent of Nigerian women aged 15–49 have experienced physical…

The Federal Government has dismissed fears of an imminent hike in fuel prices, clarifying that it has no immediate plans to enforce the 5 percent fuel surcharge contained in the newly signed Tax Administration Act 2025. Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing growing public concern that the surcharge would worsen the hardship already faced by Nigerians. The assurance comes two days after the Trade Union Congress (TUC) rejected the proposal, describing it as “economic wickedness” and threatening to mobilise for a nationwide strike if the policy…

The escalating wave of kidnappings and banditry in Kwara North has forced workers of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Patigi and Edu Local Government Areas to abandon their duty posts and lock up offices, throwing the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise into uncertainty. Multiple security sources confirmed that operatives in the intelligence community had advised INEC staff to stay away from volatile areas, warning that they could become “soft targets” for armed gangs terrorising the region. One source disclosed that Lade town in Patigi had been largely deserted after sustained attacks, adding that officials were warned not…

… Say Even Powerful Nations Negotiated With Insurgents … Blame Some Govs For Hoarding Intelligence Reports Northern elders under the aegis of the Northern Elders Progressive Group have thrown their weight behind the ongoing peace efforts of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, urging governors across the North-West to embrace dialogue with bandits as part of measures to end years of violence in the region. Speaking at a press briefing in Kaduna on Tuesday, the group’s Zonal Coordinator, Yusuf Abubakar, said non-kinetic approaches being explored by the NSA and other stakeholders had already started yielding results. Abubakar, who…

The Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, has mourned the passing of one of its foremost alumni and business icons, Alhaji Surajudeen Adebisi Bada, describing him as an irreplaceable pillar of transformation and development. Bada, who until his death was the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of SurryB Petroleum, belonged to the pioneer set of the then Ogun State Polytechnic, admitted in 1979 to study Accountancy. He was not only a trailblazer in his career but also played a central role in strengthening the alumni body of the institution. He served as the second National President of the Ogun State Polytechnic Alumni Association and…

Victory Life Bible Church International (VLBC), Abeokuta, has unveiled the members of its 2025 Christmas Carol Committee, with a charge to deliver a spiritually uplifting and colourful celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The unveiling, which took place during the Central Service at Victory City, Kilometre 12, Ajebo Road, Abeokuta, on Sunday, featured special prayers led by the Lead Pastor, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, who commissioned the team for “a Carol Service with a difference.” Also praying for the committee, Pastor Professor Eniola Fabusoro, asked God to “prove Himself in the great task saddled on the committee,” stressing that the…

Founder of the Uplift Development Foundation and wife of former Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, has raised fresh concerns over the alarming rate of breast and cervical cancer cases in Nigeria as she flagged off the 2025 edition of the Foundation’s Free Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Programme in Abeokuta on Tuesday. Speaking at the Telemedicine Centre of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, Mrs. Amosun lamented the high cost of cancer treatment and the poor access to health facilities in low and middle-income communities, stressing that early detection remains the most effective prevention strategy. “Cancer is not a…

No fewer than 400 pupils in Ogun State have received educational support ahead of the new academic session, courtesy of Treasured Points of Light Foundation in collaboration with Ash Montana Deck of the National Association of Seadogs (NAS). The outreach, held in Wasimi, Ewekoro Local Government Area, benefitted children drawn from nine surrounding villages. Items distributed to the pupils included school bags, shoes, lunch bags, food flasks, water bottles, mathematical sets, and other stationery. Tagged “Join Hands, Raise Hope,” the 2025 edition of the annual programme was aimed at encouraging children from underserved communities to return to school with confidence…

…Says move Is Wasteful, Diabolical,Politically Motivated The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a swipe at Governor Dapo Abiodun over his appointment of 236 ward youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as political assistants, describing the move as “wasteful, diabolical and a ploy for selfish political survival.” The opposition party, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Publicity Secretary, Otunba Kayode Adebayo, accused the governor of prioritising personal ambition ahead of responsible governance at a time the state is grappling with economic hardship, poor infrastructure and underfunded health facilities. According to the…