Author: Platform Times Newspaper

In a significant demonstration at the Olota Palace in Ogun State, employees of distillery companies voiced their discontent over the recent ban on alcoholic drinks in sachets imposed by the National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC).  The protesters, numbering in the thousands, gathered to condemn the move, asserting that it could push approximately five million families, dependent on the distillery sector for their livelihoods, into poverty. The workers expressed concerns that the ban would lead to the closure of numerous factories, severely impacting the economy of Ota town, known for housing a substantial number of distillery companies.  Monday…

Chika Nwoba, a former spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi, has been remanded in the Correctional Centre by a Magistrate’s Court in Abakaliki.  The charges against Nwoba include conspiracy, false publication, and defamation. Appearing in court on Tuesday, Nwoba, known for his role as a social media handler, faces a three-count charge brought by the Prosecutor, ASP Chinagorom Eze.  The charges stem from an arrest made on Sunday, Feb. 11, following a petition lodged by Mr Oguzor Offia-Nwali, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Ebonyi State. The Prosecutor, Eze, outlined the charges, stating that Nwoba and…

A renowned human rights activist Femi Falana (SAN) has  cautioned the Federal Government against accepting offers from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. Falana who spoke in  a recent interview on Arise Television emphasized, “Reject the prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.” Expressing further concerns, the senior lawyer advocated for the right of Nigerians to protest against injustice and unfavorable economic policies.  He urged the government to promptly address citizens’ grievances without attributing political motivations to their concerns. In the wake of these statements, Falana’s warnings underscore the need for the government…

The House of Representatives is gearing up to discuss a bill advocating for the creation of three additional states in the South-West region.  The bill, set for its first reading, is championed by Oluwole Oke, representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Osun State, and the chair of the House Committee on Judiciary. Titled “A Bill for an Act to amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended),” the proposed amendment to the First Schedule, Part I of the Constitution aims to introduce new states while adjusting the number of Local Government Areas. If the bill progresses, Ijebu State…

Daud Olatunji  In a stark revelation, former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Babaatunde Johnson Kokumo has emphatically stated that no region in Nigeria is immune to the gripping menace of insecurity.  Addressing a gathering as the guest speaker during the World Radio Day event organized by the Freelance and Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (FIBAN) in Ogun State’s capital, Abeokuta, DIG Kokumo shed light on the widespread challenges faced by every section of the country. DIG Kokumo underscored the severity of the security issues, citing various forms of criminal activities plaguing the nation, including kidnapping, banditry, murder, piracy, cultism,…

Daud Olatunji Former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sarafa Isola, on Tuesday,  stated that money holds no sway in Ogun’s political landscape, asserting that the state’s sophistication prevents it from succumbing to financial inducements during elections.  Isola, recognized with the Outstanding Nigerian Diplomat award by the Freelancer and Independent Broadcasters Association of Nigeria (Ogun State chapter) during the World Radio Day celebration in Abeokuta, highlighted that history supports his claim, with the highest spenders consistently losing elections in the state. Addressing concerns about vote buying, Isola emphasized Ogun State’s political consciousness and enlightenment, dismissing worries about monetary influences…

In a heart-wrenching testament to the fragility of life, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, former Governor of Ogun State says the recent passing of Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, and former Chairman of the Nigeria Exchange Group, Abimbola Ogunbanjo, has plunged the nation into mourning. Amosun in two statements issued on Tuesday, expressed disbelief and sorrow over the sudden demise of Herbert Wigwe, his wife, and son, as well as Abimbola Ogunbanjo, whose deaths he said  have reinforced the inevitability of life’s journey and its appointed end. He added that for the past two days,he  was grappled with a…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), on Monday, played nude videos of a female Diploma student of University of Calabar (UNICAL) in the open court in evidence against Prof. Cyril Ndifon, the institution’s suspended Dean of Faculty of Law. The nude videos were played when the ICPC’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha, led Bwaigu Fungo, the 4rh prosecution witness (PW4), in evidence in the ongoing trial of Ndifon and his co-defendant, Sunny Anyanwu, before Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court, Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ndifon was, on Jan. 25, re-arraigned alongside…

In a Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Maitama, Onyeka Ogbu, Deputy Director of Branch Operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria, affirmed on Monday that he was aware of a $6.2 million payment request for international election observers.  The former Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, is facing trial on 20 amended charges, including criminal conspiracy, conferring undue advantage, and breach of trust, as filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Emefiele is accused of impersonating the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to illicitly obtain $6.2 million.  The EFCC alleges that he forged a document…

Kenneth Mba, 53-year-old rubber trader, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for defiling his friend’s 12-year-old daughter. According to Justice Rahman Oshodi, the prosecution proved the charge of defilement against the convict beyond a reasonable doubt. He added that the convict’s confessional statement that he defiled the survivor in his room three times and gave her N200 each time after sex, was corroborated with the survivor’s testimony. He also said that the confessional statement was consistent with the evidence before the court. “I must accept that his confessional statement is true…