Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Moroccan Football Federation has filed a protest to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) challenging Nigeria’s victory at the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), alleging that two Super Falcons players were not eligible to represent the country. The protest, submitted after Nigeria edged out Morocco 3-2 in a dramatic final on Saturday, targets Ashleigh Plumptre and Michelle Alozie — two Nigerian internationals born outside the country. According to Moroccan officials, the duo’s switch of allegiance to Nigeria violated eligibility protocols. The North African nation cited “irregularities” in the nationality documentation and transition process of the players. The…

…Victim Pleads For Attacker’s Release Despite Injuries A 27-year-old Lagos-based hairdresser identified simply as Fatima is currently battling severe injuries after allegedly being brutally assaulted by her lover, resulting in the loss of six teeth. PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday, July 12, at their residence on Ibadan Street in the Ebutte Meta area of Lagos. According to family sources, Fatima was hospitalised after a violent altercation with her boyfriend turned bloody. A relative who spoke under the condition of anonymity revealed that the family only became aware of the incident after a neighbour contacted them about…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has shut down speculations surrounding the potential sale of the Port Harcourt Refinery, insisting that the facility will not be sold but rather undergo full and advanced rehabilitation. The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, made this clarification during a company-wide town hall meeting on Tuesday at the NNPC Towers in Abuja, where he addressed staff on the company’s strategic direction. Ojulari, while reacting to recent media reports triggered by his earlier comments at the 2025 OPEC Seminar in Vienna — where he said “all options are on…

The United States Embassy in Nigeria has expressed strong disapproval of the extravagant lifestyle of several Nigerian state governors, accusing them of misusing public funds on vanity projects while citizens continue to suffer under harsh economic conditions. In a statement shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, the embassy referenced an investigative report that exposed how billions of naira are being allocated for luxurious government house renovations and construction projects—despite the economic pain resulting from President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms. “While Nigerians are tightening their belts, the same cannot be said of the ruling class,” the U.S.…

The Management of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, has expressed readiness to partner with PR Primus Limited to expand the scope of the annual Lai Oso Scholarship Scheme aimed at supporting indigent Mass Communication students. At a recent meeting between officials of PR Primus, an award-winning strategic communication agency, and the institution’s Mass Communication Department, modalities were discussed to make the third edition of the scholarship scheme more impactful and inclusive. Team Lead of PR Primus, Mr. Akin Okudero, led the delegation and briefed the department on plans to raise the bar for the annual scheme instituted in honour of…

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has urged northern politicians nursing presidential ambitions to shelve their plans until 2031, insisting that President Bola Tinubu deserves full support to complete his tenure and consolidate on his developmental strides. Akume made the call on Tuesday during a two-day interactive session on government-citizen engagement held in Kaduna. The event, organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, focused on assessing electoral promises and fostering stronger civic engagement for national unity. The SGF, who represented the presidency, used the forum to defend the Tinubu administration’s track record, arguing…

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has denied ever urging the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, to withdraw from the 2027 presidential contest. The group described as “false and mischievous” a circulating statement claiming it asked Obi to shelve his presidential ambition ahead of the 2027 polls. In a strongly worded rebuttal issued on Tuesday, Ohanaeze’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ezechi Chukwu, dismissed the statement as the handiwork of faceless individuals parading themselves under a fake Ohanaeze identity. Chukwu said the statement “was fabricated by a group of starving street urchins…

The Nigerian Senate has strongly condemned a recent protest in Ghana where demonstrators reportedly demanded the expulsion of Nigerians, warning that such actions threaten African unity and undermine long-standing diplomatic ties between the two West African countries. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, described the protest as “deeply disturbing” and “contrary to the ideals of African brotherhood.” The protest, which gained traction on social media following the circulation of a viral video, showed a group of Ghanaians chanting anti-Nigerian slogans and calling for Nigerians to leave their country. The…

The Labour Party (LP) has lost no fewer than 21 lawmakers across the country in the past one year, as internal crisis and leadership tussles continue to weaken the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections. The party, which gained significant momentum during the 2023 elections through the popularity of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is now grappling with mass defections and internal disunity. The wave of defections started in July 2024 when Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi (Imo East) joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), triggering similar exits from five members of the House of Representatives — Chinedu…

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has withdrawn a controversial bill on indigeneship following a storm of public backlash and expert recommendations. Kalu, who also chairs the House Constitution Review Committee, pulled the proposed legislation after receiving what he described as “constructive feedback” from stakeholders and a critical analysis from the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS). In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, on Tuesday, Kalu explained that while the bill was originally intended to promote national unity, equality, and inclusiveness for all Nigerians regardless of state of residence,…