Author: Platform Times Newspaper

A fresh wave of discontent is spreading among Nigerian soldiers deployed in the North-East as some troops have accused “repentant” Boko Haram members integrated into military operations of secretly leaking sensitive information about army movements and armoury to their former terrorist allies. According to a report by Sahara Reporters, several frontline soldiers stationed in Borno and Yobe States have described the policy of recruiting and working alongside “repentant” insurgents as a “deadly mistake that continues to cost lives.” One of the soldiers, who spoke under condition of anonymity, alleged that some of the so-called repentant fighters routinely relay vital intelligence…

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has declared that the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is revolutionising Nigeria’s road construction model with a new generation of highways designed to last between 50 and 100 years. Umahi stated this on Wednesday during an inspection tour of the Abuja–Kaduna–Zaria–Kano Expressway (Section I), describing the new approach as a major shift from decades of poor-quality road projects that often collapse within a few years. According to a statement by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Ahmed, the minister said the new engineering standards will prioritise durability, recycling, and…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered a comprehensive review of the controversial presidential pardon recently granted to 175 inmates, after nationwide outrage over the inclusion of convicts jailed for serious crimes including murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and arms dealing. The reversal came barely three weeks after public criticism trailed the initial pardon list approved at the National Council of State meeting on October 9, 2025. In a statement issued Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu directed that names of persons convicted of serious crimes be deleted from the list, while others had their…

A labour and civil rights advocate, Comrade ‘Yinka Folarin, has charged the Ogun State Government to stop blaming past administrations and focus on delivering tangible legacies that will improve the lives of the people. Folarin, in a strongly worded statement titled “Ogun State Government Must Be Reawakened: Leave the Past and Focus on the Legacies You Intend to Leave Behind”, accused the Dapo Abiodun-led administration of hiding under inherited liabilities despite enjoying increased internally generated revenue (IGR) and tripled federal allocations. He lamented that despite being in power for over six years, the administration continues to shift blame for its…

Some aggrieved Nigerian soldiers have written an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, lamenting the alleged diversion of their allowances and what they described as widespread corruption among top military officers. The soldiers, who said they have endured years of neglect, claimed that their families are suffering while they remain on the frontlines battling insurgents and other security threats across the country. In the letter, sighted by PLATFORM TIMES on Tuesday, the soldiers accused the outgoing service chiefs and senior officers of shortchanging them in the payment of non-regular allowances approved by the Federal Government. “Mr. President, our families are…

Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has blamed the persistence of long-serving African leaders such as Cameroon’s Paul Biya and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara on the continent’s weak institutions and lack of democratic accountability. Saraki, who spoke at the Democracy Union for Africa Forum held in Nairobi, Kenya, said the trend of sit-tight leadership in Africa is a direct result of fragile governance structures that fail to check abuse of power. “These are not merely political anomalies; they are symptoms of institutional fragility,” he declared. “It is what allows, for instance, the re-election of Paul Biya in Cameroon at the…

Despite a record ₦17.2 trillion revenue in 2024, 35 Nigerian states remain heavily reliant on allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), according to BudgIT’s latest State of States report released on Tuesday. The civic tech organisation revealed that, while states’ revenues expanded significantly between 2015 and 2025, their financial independence remains alarmingly weak — with most relying on the federal purse to stay afloat. “Our findings show that many states continue to depend on FAAC for more than half of their total income, despite a sharp increase in allocations,” BudgIT noted. According to the report, FAAC inflows rose…

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has revealed that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to suspend the removal of fuel subsidy in 2012 was driven more by fears of Boko Haram attacks than by public protests. Sanusi, who was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) at the time, said the Jonathan administration had initially been resolute about ending the subsidy regime but backtracked after intelligence reports warned of possible suicide bombings targeting protesters. Speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference themed “Better Leader for a Better Nigeria” on Tuesday, Sanusi disclosed that the government’s…

The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has uncovered irregularities in the asset declaration forms of several ministers, permanent secretaries, and top federal officials following a comprehensive review by its newly established Financial Investigation and Fraud Analysis Unit (FIFAU). CCB Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Bello, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday signed by the Director of Special Duties, Moses Atolagbe, marking his first anniversary in office. According to Bello, the Bureau had scrutinized more than 500 asset declaration forms, with discrepancies identified in the submissions of at least nine ministers, 43 permanent secretaries, and 40 federal directors. “This investigation — the…

Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has attributed the country’s current high debt servicing costs to what he described as “the consequence of past borrowing and elevated interest rates.” In a recent opinion article, Edun acknowledged that while Nigeria has recorded notable economic progress under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, fiscal challenges remain, particularly the disproportionate share of national revenue consumed by debt repayment. “This is the consequence of past borrowing and elevated interest rates,” Edun said. “At the same time, Nigeria’s fiscal revenue-to-GDP ratio, at about 10 per cent after rebasing, remains one of…