Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has suspended the sale of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, in naira, directing marketers to pay in United States dollars for all purchases of petroleum products. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the new pricing policy, which took immediate effect, covers Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), also known as diesel, and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK), for both gantry and coastal product sales. Industry sources familiar with the development said the refinery adopted the measure to reduce its growing foreign exchange exposure following an increasing reliance on dollar-denominated crude oil purchases. A senior industry…

A United States-based lobbying firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, has offered to assist the Director-General of the controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, in securing political asylum and whistleblower protection over allegations surrounding the council’s operations. The firm’s founder, Karl Von Batten, also called for a United States investigation into claims that World Bank-backed funds embedded in Nigeria’s budget may have been misappropriated by senior government officials. The development comes amid growing controversy over the PFIPC, an organisation the Presidency has publicly disowned despite its reported inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation Act and alleged operation from an office within…

The Federal Government has suspended the proposed increase in registration fees for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination and the National Examinations Council Senior School Certificate Examination following widespread public outrage. The decision, announced on Monday, comes weeks after the Federal Ministry of Education issued a circular proposing higher examination fees, a move that drew criticism from parents, education stakeholders and opposition figures. In a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs Boriowo Folasade, the government said the June 18, 2026 circular conveying the proposed fee review had been withdrawn to allow for broader…

OYO State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to investigate the abduction of pupils and teachers from a school in Oriire Local Government Area, insisting that the circumstances surrounding the incident warrant independent scrutiny. Makinde made the call on Monday while receiving the rescued pupils and their teachers at the Governor’s Office in Ibadan, saying the kidnapping raised serious concerns that should not be left to domestic institutions alone. The governor described the incident as “grave and unusual,” stressing that an independent international investigation would help establish the truth and ensure accountability.…

Daud Olatunji The principal of Community High School, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mrs Rachael Alamu, has recounted the harrowing 56 days she and other abducted teachers and pupils spent in captivity, revealing that kidnappers gagged and brutalised children, chained male teachers and forced their captives on exhausting midnight treks through forests to evade security operatives. Alamu spoke on Monday after she, the rescued teachers and pupils were formally handed over to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde at the Government House, Ibadan, following their rescue by security forces after nearly two months in captivity. The victims were abducted…

Former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has defended the administration of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that Nigeria was economically stable, more secure and on a path of progress at the end of his tenure. Sirika spoke during an interview on a private  TV  station on Monday as activities commenced to mark the first anniversary of Buhari’s death. The former minister dismissed claims that Buhari’s administration left the country in economic distress, maintaining that the former president recorded remarkable achievements despite the challenges faced during his eight years in office. “I don’t want to get dragged into that…

The Delta State Police Command has arrested an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mieyebo Victor Foupade, over allegations that he circulated the nude videos of his wife online and threatened her life. Also arrested is a woman identified as Mrs. Tope Omolola Comfort, who was allegedly involved in sharing the intimate videos and harassing the officer’s wife. Police sources confirmed on Monday that both suspects are in custody at the Ughelli Area Command as investigations continue. According to a senior police source, the female suspect was arrested on Saturday before the police officer was subsequently taken into custody. “The female suspect,…

Police in the Federal Capital Territory have arraigned two children of a deceased businessman, Adimike Godwin, alongside a woman before the FCT High Court over the alleged murder of the businessman in Abuja. The defendants, Adimike Anthony, Adimike Stephany and Comfort Ajibade, were docked on Monday on a four-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and alleged offences under the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act. The court ordered that the three defendants be remanded at the Suleja Correctional Centre and adjourned the case until September 30, 2026, for further proceedings. The FCT Police Command said the deceased was allegedly…

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed allegations that the death of a nurse at his residence in Ebonyi State was concealed, insisting that the incident was promptly reported to the police and that due process was followed. Umahi was reacting to reports surrounding the death of Mary Habila, a nurse said to be attached to the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital. Speaking on Sunday while inspecting ongoing construction on the Ebonyi section of the Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue–Nasarawa–Abuja Superhighway, the minister described claims of secrecy as false and misleading. According to him, it was members of the deceased’s family who…

History rarely remembers only those who occupied positions of authority. More often, it celebrates men and women whose quiet commitment to humanity transformed lives without fanfare. Across communities where hardship has become a daily reality, such individuals work behind the scenes—listening before they lead, serving before they speak, and restoring hope where opportunities appear scarce. Among this new generation of humanitarian practitioners is Ogu Eberechukwu Emmanuel, a charity field worker whose philosophy of service challenges the traditional understanding of charity. For Emmanuel, humanitarian work is not simply about distributing food, clothing, or relief materials. It is about rebuilding confidence in…