Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…Policy Targets Substance Sbuse Among Young Applicants … MDAs To Partner NDLEA As Rule Takes Immediate Effect Daud Olatunji The Federal Government has approved mandatory pre-employment drug testing for all applicants seeking employment in the Nigerian public service, in a sweeping policy shift aimed at curbing substance abuse and improving productivity across government institutions. The directive, which takes immediate effect, was announced on Monday in Abuja by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Segun Imohiosen. In a statement, Imohiosen said the decision was contained in a…

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old housewife, Misturah Bada, and her accomplice, Adedamola Daniel, for allegedly staging her own kidnapping to extort N2.5 million from her husband, who lives in South Africa. The suspects were apprehended by operatives of the command’s Special Squad for offences including false kidnapping, conspiracy, and extortion, the police said. According to a statement by the state police spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, the saga began on November 24 when Bada’s husband reported that armed men had abducted his wife and demanded a ransom of N10 million, later reduced to N3 million. “A sum of…

In classrooms across Nigeria, from public secondary schools to private colleges and tertiary institutions, a quiet but profound transformation has begun. PLATFORM TIMES reports that,chalkboards are gradually giving way to smart screens, handwritten notes to digital documents, and traditional libraries to online databases. At the heart of this shift lies one critical factor: digital skills. As Computer-Based Tests (CBTs), online research, virtual classrooms, and artificial intelligence-driven tools become embedded in the education system, students’ ability to acquire and deploy digital skills is increasingly shaping their academic performance. A PLATFORM TIMES special report examines how digital literacy is influencing learning outcomes,…

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court, challenging the November 28, 2025, judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which quashed the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central. The dispute stems from the Akpabio-led Senate’s suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan, a decision the appellate court later overturned. Akpabio is contesting the appellate court’s refusal to allow him rely on a brief of argument that exceeded the 35-page limit set by the Court of Appeal rules. Through his legal team led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Kehinde Ogunwumiju, Akpabio argued that the refusal violated…

… Funds Intended For National Protection Converted To Foreign Currency … Commission Recovers N566bn In Anti-Corruption Driv Aishah Waliyullah  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has raised the alarm over alleged massive diversion of security votes by some state governors, with billions of naira reportedly converted into foreign currency and moved abroad. The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this on Friday during the annual lecture of the Honorary Members’ Forum of Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Mess at Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos. Olukoyede described corruption as the “real elephant in the room” driving Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, noting…

Nigeria’s total health expenditure rose to ₦10.42 trillion in 2024, even as out-of-pocket spending by households dropped slightly to 58.3 per cent of total health costs, according to the National Health Accounts (NHA) 2023–2024 report. The report, released on Sunday in Abuja, showed that the 2024 out-of-pocket figure represents a marginal decline from 58.8 per cent recorded in 2023, signalling modest progress in reducing the financial burden of healthcare on Nigerians. Findings from the report, presented at a Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, revealed that despite the slight improvement, households remained the largest source…

Troops of the Nigerian military have arrested suspected terrorists during ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North-East, recovering assorted food items, energy drinks, mobile phones and cash in both Naira and CFA. Military sources disclosed that the arrest followed a series of intelligence-led operations aimed at disrupting terrorist movements and logistics supply routes across the region. Items recovered from the suspects include assorted food supplies believed to be meant for fighters in the hinterlands, energy drinks, three mobile phones, an identity card, a ring, as well as several sums of cash in local and foreign currencies. According to the military, the…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Federal Government to immediately make public the certified true copies of the recently gazetted tax laws and to constitute an independent investigative panel to probe allegations of unauthorised alterations to the legislation. SERAP said the panel should be chaired by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal, insisting that its findings must be made public and that anyone found culpable should be prosecuted. The rights group’s demand follows growing concerns raised by the National Assembly over alleged discrepancies between the tax bills passed by…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has invited Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, to appear before its investigators to substantiate allegations of corruption levelled against the immediate past Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Alhaji Farouk Ahmed. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the anti-graft agency formally commenced investigation of the petition on Monday, insisting that Ahmed’s resignation from office would not stall or affect the probe, which it described as being in the public interest. Sources at the commission disclosed that Dangote, or his lawyer, Chief Ogwu Onoja (SAN), had been directed to…

The Nigerian Air Force has paid compensation to victims and families affected by the accidental airstrike that struck Gidan Bisa and Rumtuwa communities in Silame Local Government Area of Sokoto State on December 25, 2024. The compensation followed the outcome of a fact-finding investigation which confirmed that 13 civilians were unintentionally killed, while eight others sustained varying degrees of injuries during an operation targeting suspected terrorists. This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame. According to the statement, the Chief of the…