Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, spokesperson of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Ladipo Johnson, has confirmed that some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are lobbying for Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to emerge as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate. Johnson, who spoke on The Morning Brief programme aired on Channels Television on Monday, described the move as “not out of place”, adding that Kwankwaso remains open to strategic alliances that align with his political philosophy. “It’s not insulting to offer him the vice-presidential slot; whether he accepts or not is a different matter,”…

President Bola Tinubu was on Monday honoured with a symbolic reception at the bicameral parliament of Saint Lucia, where leaders of the Caribbean island affirmed historic and cultural ties with Nigeria, citing deep ancestral connections dating back to the transatlantic slave trade. In her address to the joint sitting, the President of the Saint Lucian Senate, Alvina Reynolds, stated that historical records show that a large number of African slaves brought to Saint Lucia originated from Nigeria. Citing an 1815 British census, Reynolds revealed that of the 3,488 enslaved people born in Africa and documented in the census, 34 percent…

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has formally affirmed Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the party’s National Secretary, following weeks of intense internal wrangling, conflicting announcements, and a dramatic security clampdown on the party’s national headquarters. The affirmation was announced on Monday by the PDP Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, after the party’s 100th NEC meeting held at its Wadata Plaza headquarters in Abuja. “The NEC unanimously agreed that Senator Anyanwu continues as the National Secretary of the party. This decision comes after thorough consultations with relevant stakeholders and INEC,” Damagum told journalists shortly after the…

A 15-year-old student, Haruna Suliat Adeola, has emerged as the One-Day Member of the House of Representatives for Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North Federal Constituency following a keenly contested intellectual competition aimed at nurturing future leaders within the constituency. Suliat, a Senior Secondary School 3 student of Okedere High School, Idere, in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State, triumphed in a rigorous academic contest organized by the federal lawmaker representing the constituency, Hon. (Dr.) Anthony Adebayo Adepoju. The grand finale of the second edition of the initiative was held at the Igboora High School auditorium on Sunday, June…

Feyisayo Ogunbiyi Nigeria’s economic crisis has done more than just empty wallets—it has slowly and silently emptied hope from the hearts of millions. The average Nigerian wakes each day not just to rising food prices and unpaid bills, but to an invisible war within. Depression, often undiagnosed and dismissed as weakness or spiritual attack, has tightened its grip across demographics—students, fathers, mothers, traders—each masking pain with routine, faith, or laughter. In this piece, I take you through the intimate struggles behind everyday resilience, highlighting how silent suffering has become the nation’s unofficial anthem. This is not just another story on…

… Get 7 Days Ultimatum Amid rising insecurity and worsening public trust, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has demanded that all 36 state governors in Nigeria disclose how they have spent public funds allocated as “security votes” since May 29, 2023—or face legal action. The call was made in a Freedom of Information (FoI) letter dated June 28 and signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare. The organisation warned that failure to respond within seven days would trigger appropriate legal steps to compel accountability. According to SERAP, the growing insecurity across Nigeria, including the recent Benue massacre, has…

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has raised the alarm over a growing trend of youths in Anambra State engaging in the production of babies solely for commercial purposes. Commander of NAPTIP in the state, Judith-Chukwu Ibadin, described the development as disturbing and likened it to the resurgence of “baby factories” where young couples cohabit by mutual consent with the sole aim of selling their babies after birth. Speaking with journalists in her Awka office on Saturday, Judith-Chukwu said the practice is spreading rapidly, particularly in rural communities, and is becoming increasingly difficult to trace…

A staff member of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Elvis Simon Okerenyi, has been convicted for employment fraud after deceiving a job seeker and collecting N1 million under false pretence. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in a statement released by its spokesperson, Demola Bakare, said Okerenyi was arraigned before Justice S. C. Oriji of the Federal Capital Territory High Court for offences bordering on forgery and fraudulent job placement. ICPC investigations revealed that Okerenyi collected the sum of N1,000,000 from one Titus Tavershima under the guise of securing employment for him in…

Residents of over 30 host communities in Ogun State were full of joy as the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) distributed over 3,000 bags of rice under its National Food Intervention Programme. The rice distribution covered communities around the Dangote Cement Plant in Ibese, Itori in Ewekoro Local Government Area, and Ijebu-Igbo, where Dangote Granite and Mines operates. At the distribution points, including the palaces of the Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo and the Sopenlukale of Oke-Sopen, large crowds turned up to receive the food items, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people living with disabilities, and the poor. Speaking during the…

In what analysts describe as a transformative intervention in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a bold N720 billion investment in 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for the direct delivery of fuel across the country—a move expected to disrupt traditional fuel distribution and save Nigerians over N1.7 trillion annually. The initiative, which will eliminate the role of middlemen and drastically reduce transportation costs, marks the first time a private operator is absorbing over N1.07 trillion yearly in logistics expenses—a cost burden that has historically inflated pump prices across Nigeria. Under the new system, beginning August 15,…