Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai has announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party. While giving his reasons for the development, El-rufai cited irreconcilable differences with the current leadership. El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC, disclosed this in a letter of resignation submitted on Monday tonhisbward in Kaduna State. He expressed his disillusionment with the party’s direction in recent years. “I have diligently served the APC and made my contributions to its viability as a political platform,” El-Rufai stated. “However, developments in the last two years have confirmed a…

The political crisis in Rivers State has deepened as lawmakers loyal to former governor Nyesom Wike have openly rejected an invitation from Governor Siminalayi Fubara for a crucial meeting. The standoff, which has been escalating for months, took a dramatic turn when one of the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers, Isaiah Opuende, dismissed Fubara’s call, urging the governor to “dey his dey.” The meeting, scheduled for Monday at the Government House, was expected to address pressing legislative issues, including the provision of a sitting space for the Assembly, payment of outstanding allowances, and the presentation of the 2025 budget. The invitation was…

Residents of Lagos are growing increasingly worried over the safety of bombs and other weapons stored at the Lagos Air Force Base, which has been without electricity for more than 16 days. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the military facility was disconnected by Ikeja Electric over a reported N4 billion debt, leading to fears that prolonged darkness could affect the cooling systems needed to store high-explosive armaments safely. The situation escalated when armed Air Force personnel allegedly stormed Ikeja Electric’s offices, vandalizing property and holding staff, journalists, and visitors hostage. Reports indicate that military personnel also seized about 40 company vehicles…

Daud Olatunji The Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed grave concern over the alarming rise in kidnapping cases across several states, including Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Edo, Kogi, Adamawa, and Taraba states. The group urged local communities to take proactive security measures amid reports of collaborations between locals and criminals. In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, Afenifere lamented the worsening insecurity and backed calls for urgent security strategies to combat the surge in abductions nationwide. The organisation highlighted recent cases of kidnapping, stressing the growing sophistication of criminals and the need…

Parents of students in King’s College, Lagos (KCL), are worried over reports of a suspected Diphtheria outbreak in the school that led to the hospitalisation of some students. The parents who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos blamed the outbreak on the unsanitary condition of the school. World Health Organisation (WHO) official sensitising King’s College, Lagos, students on Diphtheria disease. A parent who pleaded anonymity faulted the school’s management for its seeming silence and not swinging into action promptly in the face of the outbreak. The parent said, “If there are…

The Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School in Riwaza community, Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has remained shut for about two years due to the absence of teachers, forcing children to abandon education and return to farming. The village chief, HRH Mohammed Bature, lamented the situation, describing it as worrisome. He said the last time the school’s head teacher and one other teacher reported for duty was two years ago, citing insecurity as their reason for leaving. “When there were cases of kidnapping in rural communities, both the headmaster and one teacher stopped coming to the…

Former Senator for Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has criticized the National Population Commission (NPC) for proposing a budget of ₦942 billion for the 2025 population and housing census, describing the amount as “total madness.” PLATFORM TIMES reports that President Bola Tinubu rejected the budget request and is considering deploying National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members for the exercise instead. Reacting on X, Sani commended Tinubu’s decision, stating, “The National Population Commission’s request for almost a trillion naira just to count the number of Nigerians is total madness. The rejection of their budget is commendable.” The NPC’s budget proposal has sparked…

The Federal Government has officially taken over the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) in Ijagun, Ogun State, elevating it to a Federal University of Education. Founded in 2005 by the Ogun State Government, TASUED stands as Nigeria’s first specialized university of education and is now the first federally owned tertiary institution in Ogun East Senatorial District. The development follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval on Friday, as announced by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga on Sunday. Tinubu expressed gratitude to the Ogun State Government for inviting the Federal Government to adopt the institution, describing it as one of the state’s best…

The family of the late General Sani Abacha has strongly rejected claims by former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida, that Abacha was responsible for the annulment of the historic June 12, 1993, presidential election. Babangida, in his newly released memoir, A Journey in Service, alleged that Abacha, his then-Chief of Defence Staff, spearheaded the decision to nullify the election widely believed to have been won by the late Chief MKO Abiola. The annulment plunged Nigeria into a political crisis, leading to the eventual transition to democracy in 1999. However, in a statement issued on Sunday, Mohammed Abacha, son…

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has continued his series of high-profile political consultations, meeting with former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and prominent cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare, in Lagos. The visit, disclosed by El-Rufai’s media adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, in a tweet on Sunday, has further fueled speculation about his political future and possible alliances ahead of the 2027 general elections. “El-Rufai was in Lagos today to visit Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Pastor Tunde Bakare,” Adekeye wrote. El-Rufai’s latest engagements come just days after his visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna, a move widely interpreted as part of…