Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Daud Olatunji Former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, has called on the Federal Government to adopt an innovative healthcare funding model leveraging Nigeria’s telecom infrastructure by deducting N5 from every phone call to support a nationwide health insurance scheme. Duke made the suggestion on Thursday while speaking as the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting and International Conference of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners, held in Abeokuta, Ogun State. He explained that with over 157 million mobile subscribers in the country, a micro-deduction model could generate up to N9 trillion — an amount he…

Feyisayo Ogunbiyi Former Ogun State Governor and Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has attributed the increasing migration of Nigerian doctors to poor remuneration, calling for a separation of medical professionals from the traditional civil service pay structure. Speaking as chairman of the 47th International Conference and General Meeting of the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP) in Abeokuta on Thursday, Daniel stressed that Nigerian doctors are excelling globally but are undervalued at home. “The best surgeons and doctors abroad are either Nigerians or Indians. When you visit hospitals overseas, you find a large number of Nigerians practicing…

Balqees Adeniji The Ogun State Government has earmarked a staggering N12.3 billion for waste management operations through the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA) over a five-year period, PLATFORM TIMES can exclusively report. An analysis of the state’s budget documents from 2021 to 2025 reveals that a total of N12,320,553,919.96 has been allocated to OGWAMA to tackle the growing waste management challenges across urban and rural areas in the state. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the yearly breakdown shows a fluctuating but ultimately upward trend in the agency’s funding. In 2021, OGWAMA received N1.46 billion, which slightly dipped to N1.19 billion…

The World Bank has projected a grim outlook for Nigeria’s fight against poverty, warning that more Nigerians are expected to fall below the poverty line by 2027. According to the latest Africa’s Pulse report, released during the 2025 IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., poverty in Nigeria and other resource-rich but fragile African economies is expected to rise by 3.6 percentage points between 2022 and 2027. The report attributed the looming rise in poverty to Nigeria’s overreliance on oil revenues, persistent economic fragility, and weak governance structures. “Poverty in resource-rich, fragile countries, including large economies like Nigeria…

A wave of concern has gripped stakeholders in the education sector following the dismal performance of Lagos State public school students in the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), despite the state government’s massive financial intervention. The Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, on Thursday disclosed that no fewer than 26,592 public school students failed the examination, accounting for 45.7% of the 58,188 candidates presented by the state. Alli-Balogun made this known at a ministerial press briefing held in Alausa, Ikeja, revealing that the state had spent a staggering ₦1.577 billion to…

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested three suspects in connection with the tragic death of an 18-year-old girl following complications from an unsafe abortion in Misau Local Government Area of the state. Spokesman of the Command, CSP Ahmed Wakil, confirmed the arrests in a statement on Thursday, noting that the incident was initially reported on April 4, 2025, though the events leading to the death occurred four months earlier. Wakil explained that preliminary investigations revealed that two of the suspects had lured the teenager and engaged in repeated sexual activities with her, resulting in an unintended pregnancy. “In a…

Ten leading commercial banks in Nigeria paid a combined N987.40bn in corporate income tax to the Federal Government in 2024, a reflection of surging profitability driven by high interest rates and government borrowing. The tax remittances were disclosed in the banks’ consolidated and separate financial statements filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited for the year ended December 31, 2024. An analysis of the financial reports from Access Holdings, United Bank for Africa (UBA), First HoldCo Plc, Sterling Financial Holdings, Wema Bank, Zenith Bank, Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), Stanbic IBTC, Fidelity Bank, and FCMB shows a sharp rise in tax…

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the authority to arrest and detain six promoters of the embattled Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) over their alleged involvement in a massive investment fraud exceeding $1 billion. Justice Emeka Nwite issued the ruling on Thursday following submissions by the EFCC’s counsel, Fadila Yusuf. The court approved an ex parte motion filed by the commission on April 23, which sought an order to arrest and remand the suspects while investigations continued. The suspects named in the application are Adefowora Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, Seyi Oloyede,…

The Federal High Court in Lagos has directed 54 banks to return a staggering N9,329,322,870 fraudulently transferred by hackers from an old generation bank. Justice Deinde Dipeolu, who delivered the ruling on April 15, 2025, granted the orders following an ex parte application filed in suit number FHC/L/CS/629/2025. PLATFORM TIMES reports that the court also ordered an immediate Post No Debit restriction on all accounts linked to the theft. According to court documents, the plaintiff bank revealed that on March 23, 2025, hackers breached its core banking system, executing unauthorised debits from multiple customer accounts and dispersing over N9.3bn across…

The Federal Government has granted tax waivers to Dangote Fertilisers, Mikano International Limited, and 103 other companies, raising the total number of beneficiaries under the Pioneer Status Incentive (PSI) scheme to 105 as of December 2024,  This development comes amid mounting concerns over the policy’s economic effectiveness and the government’s plan to phase out the current tax incentive regime in favour of a more targeted approach. According to the latest PSI report released by the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), 22 new companies were granted pioneer status in the last quarter of 2024. This marks a notable increase from 83…