Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Senate on Tuesday asked President Bola Tinubu to immediately approve the recruitment of 100,000 fresh military personnel to tackle worsening insecurity, including escalating school abductions and deadly attacks in several states. The lawmakers also ordered a full-scale probe into the Safe School Programme, saying billions budgeted to protect schoolchildren appear to have vanished while criminals continue to raid educational institutions with ease. The resolutions followed a heated debate sparked by the killing of a vice principal and kidnapping of 25 schoolgirls at Government Girls’ Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State. Presiding over plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio later moved…

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, insisting that the powerful royal “knew nothing” about the killing — a position that directly contradicts U.S. intelligence findings. Trump made the remarks during a meeting with the crown prince at the Oval Office on Tuesday, his first visit to Washington since 2018, months before Khashoggi was assassinated inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. “You’re mentioning somebody who was extremely controversial. A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman,” Trump said when asked about the killing. “Whether you liked…

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday renewed its warning against the abuse of the naira, insisting that spraying, hawking or mutilating the national currency remains a criminal offence punishable under Nigerian law. Speaking at the 2025 CBN Fair in Enugu, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali, said the apex bank would no longer tolerate the rising cases of currency abuse, describing the naira as “a national symbol that must be treated with dignity.” “We strongly appeal to all Nigerians: do not spray, hawk, mutilate or counterfeit the naira. It is not just paper; it…

The deepening crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday exploded into a chaotic confrontation in Abuja, prompting the party’s National Chairman, Kabiru Turaki, to issue an extraordinary appeal to United States President Donald Trump and other foreign powers to intervene and “save Nigeria’s democracy.” Trouble began shortly before the rival factions of the party scheduled parallel National Executive Committee meetings at the PDP national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja — a move that set loyalists of Turaki and supporters of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike on a collision course. Speaking moments before the clash, Turaki accused Wike of “leading armed…

The internal crisis plaguing the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday degenerated into a full-blown war as the faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, ratified the expulsion of three serving governors and several prominent party heavyweights. At a heated meeting held at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja, the factional National Executive Committee announced the expulsion of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; and Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal. Also expelled were former Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara; former Deputy National Chairman, Bode George; and…

The 20th coronation anniversary of the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Michael Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, on Monday drew fresh tributes as prominent Egba chief, Chief Olalekan  Shoyinka, described the monarch’s reign as “two decades of unmatched stability, cultural revival, and purposeful leadership.” In a statement made available to PLATFORM TIMES on Tuesday, Shoyinka—who holds the traditional title of Gbadegesin of Ijemo—praised the monarch for what he called “a historic tenure that has strengthened institutions and advanced the unity of the Egba nation.” According to him, Oba Gbadebo’s 20 years on the throne have not only…

… Pictorial Warnings Push Quit-Attempt Rate From 26% To 43% … BATN Fined $110m For Repeated Violations Under WHO FCTC Daud Olatunji  Nigeria has reported major progress in its fight against tobacco consumption, enforcement and industry accountability, unveiling new data that shows a significant drop in smoking rates and stronger national action against violators of tobacco control laws. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, announced the breakthroughs on Monday while presenting Nigeria’s progress report at the Eleventh Session of the Conference of Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO…

Millions of Nigerians will enjoy major relief from routine bank deductions as the Federal Government has approved the abolition of five widely applied bank charges, effective January 2026. The removal of the charges forms part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s sweeping fiscal reforms signed into law on June 26, 2025. The overhaul — anchored on four new legislations: the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), Nigeria Revenue Service Act (NRSA) and Joint Revenue Board Act (JRBA) — aims to ease doing business, grow the economy and reduce financial pressure on households and small enterprises. Chairman of the…

The Lagos State House of Assembly has formally acknowledged an executive communication from Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu seeking a date to present the 2026 Appropriation Bill, which proposes a staggering ₦4.237 trillion budget for the fiscal year. The letter, read at plenary by the Clerk of the House, Barr. Olalekan Onafeko, signalled the commencement of legislative work on what will become the state’s next financial plan. A lawmaker who reviewed the proposal described it as “a defining budget for Lagos’ infrastructure and social expansion,” adding that the Assembly would “scrutinise every detail to ensure value for Lagosians.” In a separate development,…

The federal government has vowed to swiftly rescue 25 schoolgirls abducted from Maga Comprehensive Girls’ Secondary School in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State. Information Minister Mohammed Idris, in a statement on Monday, condemned the “reprehensible attack on innocent students and the killing of school officials who were carrying out their noble duty.” Police said the terrorists, locally referred to as bandits, struck the school around 4 a.m., killing one staff member and abducting 25 students. “Our security and intelligence agencies have been issued clear directives to locate, rescue, and safely return the students, and to ensure that…