Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Morenikeji Adebayo As part of activities marking the 2025 World Immunisation Week and Polio Awareness Week, UNICEF and the Lagos State Government have renewed calls for strengthened routine immunisation systems to protect children from preventable diseases, especially polio. Speaking during the “#Walk for Polio” event in Lagos, Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Ms. Celine Lafoucriere, highlighted the urgency of reaching the over two million Nigerian children who are still “zero-dose” — children who have not received a single dose of any vaccine. “It’s an honour to walk with all of you today,” Lafoucriere told dignitaries, development partners, community…

A tale of calamity Once to my brother narrated: An erudite scholar learned And a nonentity. Literacy met illiteracy By the riverside. On a voyage To a specific destination. Marvelled at his nescience The egghead queried: “Aren’t you educated?” In the negative, the canoeman responded. “You’ve finished,” declared the voice of literacy Unable to decipher its implication, The canoeman smiled. Abruptly, a huge storm overtook the seas The canoeman lost the control Of his vehicle. Everyone for himself, God for all. The canoeman asked the professor: “Aren’t you learned in swimming?” The hydraheaded scholar Answered in the negative. “You’ve…

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has approved the appointment of 168 political aides in a sweeping move aimed at revitalising governance and enhancing inclusive leadership in the state. The appointments, announced on Tuesday in a statement signed by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, span various categories of political aides including Principal Special Assistants, Senior Special Assistants, Special Assistants, and Personal Assistants. According to Gidado, the latest appointments are part of Governor Mohammed’s ongoing commitment to deepen participatory governance, promote grassroots engagement, and deliver improved service across Bauchi State. Of the newly appointed aides, 63 will…

The Federal Government on Tuesday opened its case against Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), with startling revelations about his 2015 arrest at a Lagos hotel, where he was found in the company of a young woman and broadcasting equipment. Testifying behind a screen as permitted by the court for security reasons, the first prosecution witness, identified only as AAA, an 18-year veteran of the Department of State Services (DSS), told the Federal High Court in Abuja that Kanu was apprehended at the Golden Tulip Hotel near Lagos International Airport on October 14, 2015.…

A new consumer outlook report has revealed that Nigerians now spend over half of their monthly income on food, as rising living costs continue to squeeze household budgets across the country. The report, released by Lagos-based marketing communications firm SEID, stated that 50.1 per cent of Nigerians’ earnings are allocated to food expenses. It also found that 18.5 per cent of households have adopted solar energy solutions to cope with increasing electricity costs. The findings were contained in SEID’s inaugural Nigerian Consumer Outlook Report 2025 (NCOR 2025), which surveyed more than 7,000 Nigerians across the country’s six geo-political zones. Speaking…

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has tasked the judiciary with ensuring that electricity distribution companies (DisCos) are held accountable for the 112 electricity-related deaths and 95 injuries recorded so far in 2024. Speaking on Monday at the opening of the 2025 National Seminar on Regulations in the Electricity Power Sector for Judicial Officers in Abuja, Kekere-Ekun described the situation as unacceptable, warning that negligence in the power sector must no longer go unpunished. The seminar was organised by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI). It had as its theme:…

The Federal Government’s fiscal woes deepened further in January 2025, as debt servicing obligations outstripped retained revenue by a staggering margin, according to the latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria. The CBN’s January 2025 Monthly Economic Report revealed that the government spent N696.27bn on debt servicing during the month, compared to a total retained revenue of N483.47bn. This means debt service alone consumed approximately 144 per cent of the government’s earnings, painting a grim picture of Nigeria’s worsening public finance crisis. Despite slight gains in some revenue categories, the government’s earnings were grossly insufficient to cover debt obligations,…

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has declared that his recent defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) marks the beginning of a major political revolution aimed at dismantling godfatherism and rescuing Nigeria from deepening existential threats. Speaking with journalists in Kano on Monday, El-Rufai said he abandoned the APC to join forces with the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which he described as the only credible platform free from the internal dysfunction and power-brokering that have crippled Nigeria’s dominant parties. According to him, the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have both been “destroyed by godfathers,” leaving Nigerians desperate…

Balqees Adeniji A cyclist lost his life on Monday after colliding with a moving truck at Alausa Bus Stop, near the ‘Radio’ area by Kudirat Abiola Way, along Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Lagos State. The incident, which caused heavy traffic congestion in the area, was confirmed by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in a statement signed by the agency’s Director of Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Mr Adebayo Taofiq. According to the statement, the cyclist was reportedly attempting to manoeuvre from Kudirat Abiola Way towards the ‘Radio’ junction when he collided with a truck bearing registration number BDG…

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Apo, Abuja, has dismissed an application by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, seeking to recover an estate seized by the Federal Government. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had, on December 2, 2024, secured the final forfeiture of the property located at Plot 109, Cadastral Zone CO9, Lokogoma District, covering 150,500 square metres and comprising 753 duplexes. Although the estate was initially linked to a company that later disclaimed ownership, Emefiele, through his lawyer, A.M. Kotoye, applied to be recognised as an interested party, asking…