Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The De-Renaissance Patriots Foundation has raised alarm over what it described as the growing political marginalisation and systemic disenfranchisement of indigenous Lagosians, calling on the Lagos State and Federal Governments, National Assembly, and international community to intervene in what it termed “a crisis threatening Nigeria’s democratic and federal structure.” In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, the group rejected a proposed constitutional amendment currently before the National Assembly, which seeks to redefine indigeneship based on birth, residency, or marriage instead of ancestral lineage. “Indigeneship is a matter of heritage, not habitation,” the Foundation declared. “This legislation, if passed, will…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that the removal of fuel subsidy and spending of subsidy savings would take time to impact on the people. Deputy Director in the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department, Era Dabla-Norris said this on Wednesday at the Fiscal Monitor session of the ongoing IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington DC. Dabla-Norris said that petrol subsidy removal impacts people’s income immediately but there are tangible benefits like energy efficiency, but the ability to reallocate fiscal savings, takes time to materialise. The IMF Deputy Director called on the Federal Government to think about a comprehensive strategy on…

Feyisayo Ogunbiyi The Ogun State Government has budgeted a total of N56,038,958,560.71 for the operations of the State House of Assembly over a five-year period, from 2021 to 2025, PLATFORM TIMES investigation has revealed. The allocation, spread across five annual budgets, covers expenses for the 26-member legislative arm and its associated institutions, including the House of Assembly Service Commission. While the figures reflect approved budgets, actual implementation remains uncertain due to missing data in the Open State portal, the source of the information. A breakdown of the figures shows that in 2021, the state budgeted N4,294,721,840.27 for the legislature, including…

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested a Nigerian man, Ebuka Iwuagwu, in Atlanta over allegations of large-scale fraud involving COVID-19 relief funds and a coordinated romance scam. Iwuagwu, 39, was taken into custody on Monday following an eight-count indictment for money laundering and conspiracy filed at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division. The indictment, dated April 2, 2025, detailed his alleged role in a scheme that defrauded both individuals and the U.S. government of millions of naira worth of funds. According to court documents obtained by Peoples Gazette, the accused…

The police command in Bauchi said an investigation has begun into a case of child sexual abuse allegedly committed by a 40-year-old resident of Tashan Jama’are in Katagum LGA. The spokesperson for the command, Ahmed Wakil, confirmed this to journalists in Bauchi. He said the matter was formally reported on March 1, at about 2:00 p.m., by a concerned citizen at the divisional police headquarters in Azare. Mr Wakil said the suspect was alleged to have repeatedly abused a 12-year-old Arabic school pupil, who had been employed to assist her in running her business. “The victim, an Arabic pupil, was…

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has disclosed that it recovered ₦1.58 billion from defaulting employers, as total pension assets under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) hit ₦23 trillion as of February 2025. Director General of PenCom, Ms. Omolola Oloworaran, made this known on Wednesday during the First Run 2025 Consultative Forum for States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) held in Kano. Oloworaran stated that the recovered funds were the result of enhanced enforcement measures by the Commission, aimed at ensuring compliance with pension regulations by employers. She noted a positive shift in the remittance culture among state governments, which…

Daud Olatunji In a dramatic political twist, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure in the state have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The mass defection was confirmed on Wednesday in Asaba by Senator James Manager after a marathon closed-door meeting at the Delta State Government House that lasted over six hours. “All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC,” Manager stated. “We cannot continue…

Feyisayo Ogunbiyi The federal government has announced that colleges of education across Nigeria will begin awarding bachelor’s degrees alongside the National Certificate in Education (NCE) from September 2025. Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made the disclosure in Abuja on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ engagement on the implementation of the dual mandate policy, which grants colleges of education the authority to award degrees. The initiative, signed into law in 2023, was initially scheduled to commence in the 2024/2025 academic session. However, Alausa confirmed that the rollout has now been moved to the 2025/2026 academic year, with only federal…

There was a wave of excitement and fresh political calculations on Tuesday following reports that President Bola Tinubu held a crucial meeting in London with the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara. Although the meeting was shrouded in secrecy, sources familiar with the development confirmed  that it was the first face-to-face encounter between the two since President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in the oil-rich state on March 18, suspending Fubara, his deputy Dr. Ngozi Odu, and the entire state House of Assembly. The Africa Report claimed the meeting was at Fubara’s request, but the Presidency has…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected a sharp rebound in Nigeria’s inflation, forecasting a 37% headline rate in 2026, even as temporary relief is expected in 2025 with inflation averaging 26.5%. This was disclosed in the IMF’s April 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO), which highlights persistent economic fragility in Nigeria despite recent policy reforms. The inflation forecast comes on the heels of a Consumer Price Index (CPI) rebasing by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which saw inflation figures recalibrated to reflect more current consumption patterns. The Fund noted that although inflation may ease this year from the 33.2%…