Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Wema Bank Plc has announced plans to host the latest edition of its NBC Trade Fair in Ikeja, Lagos, as part of its ongoing drive to support small businesses, deepen financial inclusion, and empower women entrepreneurs across Nigeria. The three-day fair, scheduled to hold from October 24 to 26, 2025, at the Whitestone Event Centre, is expected to attract hundreds of vendors, entrepreneurs, and shoppers from across sectors including fashion, food, skincare, and lifestyle. According to the bank, the Lagos edition follows the success of its Island and Ghana editions earlier in the year, both of which created platforms for…

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed no fewer than 498 drug premises in Lagos State for operating illegally and violating professional regulations. The Head of Enforcement of the Council, Dr. Suleiman Chiroma, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the PCN Southwest Zonal Office in Yaba, Lagos. Chiroma said the week-long enforcement exercise, which covered 20 local government areas, uncovered widespread irregularities in both registered and unregistered outlets, including pharmacies and patent medicine stores. “Out of 845 premises inspected, 498 were sealed for various infractions ranging from unlicensed operations to the sale of controlled drugs by…

More than 50 Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters were gunned down in the early hours of Thursday as troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) repelled simultaneous attacks on military bases across Borno and Yobe States. The coordinated offensives, which began shortly after midnight, targeted military formations in Dikwa, Mafa, Gajibo (all in Borno), and Katarko in Yobe. According to a statement by Lt. Col. Sani Uba, Media Officer of the Joint Task Force, the terrorists stormed the bases in large numbers, unleashing heavy gunfire and drone-led rocket attacks that lasted several hours. “The troops fought…

The newly sworn-in Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, on Thursday vowed that the integrity of Nigeria’s elections will not be compromised under his watch. Amupitan, who formally assumed office at INEC headquarters in Abuja after being sworn in by President Bola Tinubu, described his appointment as a “divine call to service” and pledged to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process. Speaking during an interactive session with INEC directors shortly after taking over from Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, who had been acting as the Commission’s head since the exit of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the…

…Say activist will be arraigned within 24 hours Daud Olatunji The Nigeria Police Force on Thursday explained that it arrested human rights activist and publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, for allegedly leading a group of protesters into a restricted area in Abuja, in violation of a subsisting court order. Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja, insisting that Sowore’s arrest was based on statements obtained from 13 protesters earlier arrested in connection with the “Free Nnamdi Kanu” protest. According to Hundeyin, those arrested during the protest confessed that Sowore had mobilised and…

… Reps decry rent surge from ₦800,000 to ₦2.5m in parts of FCT … Urge FG, states to enforce fair housing and rent regulation … Say landlords exploit tenants after new infrastructure projects Daud Olatunji The House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to work with state governments to regulate house rents nationwide and ensure that landlords do not increase rent by more than 20 percent at any given time. The lawmakers made the resolution on Thursday following a motion sponsored by Bassey Akiba, a member representing Calabar Municipality/Odukpani Federal Constituency of Cross River State. Akiba, while moving…

Daud Olatunji  The Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has called on residents to collaborate with medical authorities in exposing fake doctors and unregistered health facilities operating across the state. Speaking at a press briefing in Abeokuta on Wednesday, to mark the 2025 Physicians’ Week, the NMA Chairman, Dr. Luqman Ogunjimi, described the activities of quack doctors as a growing threat to public health and urged community members to act as whistleblowers against the menace. Ogunjimi said, “It is high time that members of the community, who are always at the receiving end of the terrible activities…

…Seeks Law To Protect Victims Of Rape, Incest, Women With Life-Threatening Pregnancies  Daud Olatunji The Gender Development Initiative (GenDi) has renewed its call on the Ogun State House of Assembly to urgently enact a Reproductive Health Law that would allow safe and legal termination of pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, and life-threatening medical conditions. Speaking during a media briefing on “Policy Reformation and Maternal Mortality Reduction” held on Thursday in Abeokuta, the Executive Director of GenDi, Prof. Olubunmi Ashimolowo, and consultant to GenDi, Tayo Akinpelu jointly  said the proposed law was not aimed at encouraging abortion, but at saving…

 Daud Olatunji The Ogun State House of Assembly has ordered the arrest and compulsory appearance of the Managing Director of Ojibas Nigeria Limited, Alhaji Tajudeen Abioye, over alleged large-scale environmental degradation caused by the company’s mining operations in the Elegan Progressive Community, Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of the state. The Assembly, at its plenary on Thursday, directed the State Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Ogunlowo, to immediately produce the embattled managing director before the lawmakers to answer to allegations of environmental destruction and endangerment of lives and livelihoods of residents in the affected communities. The order followed the adoption of…

… Urges End To Hostile Transitions, Prayers For Peaceful Handover in 2027 Daud Olatunji  Former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, has warned that Ogun State may continue to suffer developmental setbacks unless the recurring pattern of hostility between successive administrations ends. Isola, who spoke during a Twitter Space session last week  Wednesday, said the state had been trapped in a cycle of political vendetta since 1999, preventing continuity in governance and frustrating sustainable development efforts. According to him, no Ogun governor has ever handed over power peacefully to a successor since the return of…