Author: Platform Times Newspaper

As Nigeria battles a growing wave of drug addiction, leading mental health professionals, royal advocates, and civil society stakeholders have raised the alarm over the nation’s soaring substance abuse rates, calling for an aggressive, united response to curb what has been described as a looming public health disaster. This call was made during an event to commemorate the 2025 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, hosted by the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, with the theme: “Breaking the Chains: Prevention, Treatment and Recovery for All.” Delivering the keynote address, Dr. A.K. Ayankola, a Consultant Psychiatrist at the hospital, described…

…  Peace Deal In Sight After Aso Rock Meeting With Key Political Actors There are strong indications that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu may soon lift the six-month emergency rule imposed on Rivers State, following a major breakthrough in the long-running political impasse between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state’s lawmakers led by Martin Amaewhule. The President on Thursday hosted a crucial closed-door meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa with Governor Fubara, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and other key members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. The meeting is believed to have produced a significant shift…

A High Court sitting in Lafia, Nasarawa State, has sentenced Oluwatimileyin Ajayi to death by hanging for the brutal murder of a serving National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Salome Adaidu. Delivering the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Simon Aboki found the 32-year-old defendant guilty of culpable homicide punishable under Section 221 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria. The court ruled that Ajayi deliberately killed and dismembered the 24-year-old corps member in a premeditated act of violence. The deceased, Salome Adaidu, was serving with NICON Insurance in Abuja before she was gruesomely murdered on a visit to the convict’s residence…

Chairmen of all 33 Local Government Areas in Oyo State have vowed to prioritize child rights in their governance and budgeting processes following a damning report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which revealed chronic underfunding of child welfare services in the state. The pledge was made at the end of a high-level dialogue meeting held on Wednesday, June 26, 2025, at Plaza De Aruna Hotel, Oyo, jointly organized by UNICEF, the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters. In a jointly signed communiqué, the council chairmen admitted that…

The Nigerian Senate has given the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) a fresh 10-day deadline to respond to 11 critical financial queries concerning over ₦210 trillion in discrepancies uncovered in its audited financial statements spanning 2017 to 2023. This ultimatum came on Wednesday during the resumed session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West), who vehemently rejected NNPCL’s request for an additional two months to provide answers. Wadada, visibly upset by the request, described it as “nonsense,” accusing the state oil firm of attempting to frustrate legislative oversight and delay accountability.…

In a sweeping disciplinary action, the National Judicial Council (NJC) has approved the compulsory retirement of ten judges from the Imo State Judiciary over various acts of misconduct, with age falsification topping the list of infractions. In a statement issued late Thursday, the NJC disclosed that nine of the judges were found guilty of altering their dates of birth in official records in a bid to unlawfully extend their stay in office. The affected judges include five from the High Court and four from the Customary Court of Appeal: Justices M. E. Nwagboso, B. C. Iheka, K. A. Leaweanya, Okereke…

Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has called for an urgent overhaul of Africa’s governance structure, declaring that the Western-style liberal democracy inherited from colonial masters is failing the continent. Obasanjo made the call on Thursday while delivering a keynote address at the 32nd Annual Meetings of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Abuja. The theme of the event was “African Renaissance in an Era of Turbulence: Are the Lions Still on the Move?” The former President challenged African countries to revisit and draw lessons from their indigenous pre-colonial systems of governance, which he said were more inclusive, people-oriented, and…

Nigeria has been ranked as the 12th poorest country in the world by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, according to a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published by Visual Capitalist. The report, released Tuesday, placed Nigeria’s GDP per capita at $807, positioning Africa’s most populous nation among the bottom 15 out of 50 countries surveyed globally. This ranking starkly contrasts with Nigeria’s reputation as one of Africa’s largest economies by overall GDP. South Sudan was listed as the poorest country worldwide, with a GDP per capita of $251, followed by Yemen, Burundi, Central African Republic, and…

In a major crackdown on transnational crime, the Nigeria Police Force has rescued 46 Ghanaian nationals trafficked into the country and arrested seven suspects connected to a cross-border human trafficking and cyber fraud syndicate. The operations, coordinated by the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja, followed a tip-off from INTERPOL NCB in Accra, Ghana, according to a statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, on Thursday. Adejobi revealed that the first sting operation led to the rescue of 31 Ghanaians who were lured to Nigeria under false promises of employment in Europe. Instead, they were coerced…

The House of Representatives has initiated a formal investigation into an alleged N6 billion contract scandal involving the Nigerian Police Force’s Procurement Department. The decision followed a motion of urgent national importance moved on Thursday by Hon. Ibe Osonwa, representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency of Abia State, during plenary in Abuja. Osonwa alleged that the Police Procurement Department illegally awarded a N6 billion contract for uniforms to Crown Natures Ltd. by fragmenting the deal into 66 smaller contracts. This, he said, was a deliberate attempt to sidestep the Public Procurement Act of 2007. “The Nigerian Police Force Procurement Department is alleged…