Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Ogun State’s rapid industrial transformation has been attributed to the deliberate economic reforms and investor-friendly policies of Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration. The Special Adviser to the Governor and Deputy Director-General of the Ogun State Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency (OgunInvest), Ms. Sola Arobieke, stated this during the commissioning of the ₦1.3 billion Monolithic Refractory Plant of African Refractory and Allied Products (ARAP), a subsidiary of African Industries Group (AIG), in Ogijo, Sagamu Local Government Area. Arobieke described the plant as a landmark achievement in Nigeria’s industrial landscape, stressing that it underscores the strong synergy between the Ogun State Government and…

In a renewed push to strengthen democratic governance and foster sustainable development in the Southwest, governors of the region and Afenifere leaders on Wednesday called for unity beyond political divides and renewed commitment to regional integration. The leaders, who gathered at the Southwest Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Strengthening Democracy Through Dialogue: Assessing Progress, Charting the Future, held at the International Culture and Events Centre, Akure, urged the region to reclaim its heritage of innovation, accountability, and good governance. The meeting, attended by governors, top federal officials, traditional rulers, and Yoruba socio-political leaders, also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his “Renewed…

. Afenifere  Urges g.Govs  To Strengthen DAWN Commission, Foster Cooperation Calls For Innovation, Youth Empowerment,  Joint Development Says South-West Must  Return To Era Of Collective Development Duad Olatunji  The Leader of Afenifere, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, has charged governors in the South-West region to give priority to regional integration and development as a way of reviving the ideals of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and ensuring sustainable progress in the zone. Fasoranti, who spoke on Wednesday through a statement issued by the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, urged the governors to rise above party differences and work collectively towards addressing the economic and…

… Lauds Dr. Hassan’s N1bn Gift Daud Olatunji The Vice Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, has described the N1 billion donation by renowned ophthalmologist, Dr. Kunle Hassan, for the establishment of a state-of-the-art Eye Institute and Professorial Chair in Ophthalmology as a model of vision, innovation, and national transformation in the Nigerian education and health sectors. Speaking on Wednesday during the turning of the sod for the Kunle Hassan Foundation Eye Institute and the unveiling of the Professorial Chair in Ophthalmology at the Obafemi Awolowo College of Health Sciences, Sagamu Campus, Prof. Agboola said the project…

….Lawmakers Threaten Arrest, Demand Oloyede’s Appearance Over Missing Documents There was palpable tension on Wednesday at the National Assembly when officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) abruptly walked out on members of the House of Representatives Committee on Basic Education and Examination Bodies. The drama unfolded after the committee demanded that the JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, appear before it with some key documents relating to the board’s operations. Oloyede, however, was absent and was represented by Mr. Mufutau Bello, a director in the board, who arrived at the complex with other JAMB officials. Trouble started when…

… 2024 WSCIJ Report Exposes Deepening Threats To Journalists, Activists … Centre Says Civic Space Shrinking As State, Non-State Actors Tighten Grip Daud Olatunji The Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) has raised alarm over the increasing hostility toward journalists and civic actors in Nigeria, identifying Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and Kano as the worst offenders in 2024. The revelation was contained in the Centre’s “Shrinking Freedoms: 2024 Journalism and Civic Space Status Report” unveiled on Tuesday in Lagos. According to the report, while the number of documented violations dropped slightly from 134 in 2023 to 103…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has declared the formation of a “shadow government” by political economist and convener of the Big Tent, Prof. Pat Utomi, as unconstitutional and a usurpation of executive powers. Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Inyang Ekwo Omotosho ruled that the Nigerian Constitution makes no provision for the establishment of a shadow government under the nation’s presidential system. “The idea of a shadow government is unknown to the Nigerian Constitution and amounts to a usurpation of executive powers,” the judge held. “Unlike the parliamentary system where opposition parties form shadow cabinets for oversight and policy alternatives,…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it has arrested 45,853 drug suspects and secured 9,263 convictions in the last 30 months, marking a major stride in Nigeria’s anti-narcotics war. The agency also seized over 8.5 million kilograms of assorted illicit drugs and rehabilitated 26,613 drug users within the period. NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this on Wednesday during the agency’s Award and Commendation Ceremony held in Abuja. Marwa, who honoured 220 outstanding personnel and decorated 15 senior officers with new ranks, credited the achievements to the dedication of NDLEA operatives and the support of the Tinubu…

Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta President Bola Tinubu has withdrawn the earlier presidential pardon granted to convicted murderer, Maryam Sanda, following widespread public outrage and criticism over what many Nigerians described as a miscarriage of justice. Sanda, who was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, son of former PDP Chairman, Haliru Bello, had her sentence initially commuted to six years under the President’s prerogative of mercy. However, after a wave of condemnation, Tinubu directed a review of the decision and approved a reduced 12-year term instead. In a statement on Wednesday, the Special Adviser to the President…

Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has confirmed that his Abuja residence was raided by men suspected to be military operatives, but denied having any link to an alleged coup plot under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). Sylva, in a statement released on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, described the reports linking him to the alleged plot as “false, malicious and politically motivated.” Bokoru disclosed that the former minister and his wife, Alanyingi Sylva, were both out of the country when the…