Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged the Oyo State House of Assembly to strengthen its legislative and oversight roles to ensure that budgetary allocations translate into tangible improvements in the lives of children across the state. The Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Ms. Celine Lafoucriere, made the call on Monday at the opening of a three-day Programme-Based Budgeting (PBB) workshop for lawmakers in Oyo State, held at Hotel De Aruna, Oyo Town. The workshop was organised under the European Union-funded SUSI Project, with technical support from UNICEF. Lafoucriere noted that while Oyo State had demonstrated leadership in…

Adeleke Adeyinka, Adegoke Oluwatoyin, Ganiyu Titilope &  Soyoola Odunayo  The pathetic  story of Debionre is synonymous to a  land so close to the power house, yet left behind in almost everything. Shockingly,  barely 15 minutes from the Ogun State Government Secretariat in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, lies Debionre — a settlement of over one million people whose daily lives are defined not by opportunity but by neglect. PLATFORM TIMES’s visit revealed that despite being surrounded by major communities like Gbagura, Efuyee, Dega, Melegun, Molusanya, Agboke, and Okoro, Debionre remains trapped in poverty and underdevelopment. It was observed that residents live in the…

Nigeria’s Remo Stars kicked off their CAF Champions League campaign in emphatic fashion on Sunday, hammering Comoros’ US Zilimadjou 4-0 in the first leg of their preliminary round clash at the MKO Abiola International Stadium, Abeokuta. Goals from Leonard Ngenge, Ebuka Anthony, Adama Goita, and Samson Olasupo ensured a dominant display by the Nigerian champions, giving them a comfortable advantage ahead of the return fixture. Ngenge opened the scoring in the 12th minute, pouncing on a loose ball inside the area to hand the Sky Blue Stars an early lead. The Ikenne-based side doubled their advantage on the stroke of…

Former Ogun State governor and senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has declared that the success of the agitation for the creation of Ijebu-Remo State rests squarely on his return to the Senate in 2027. Daniel, who made the remarks while commissioning the Renewed Hope International Market at Ìgodè, Sagamu Local Government Area, said his second-term victory would determine whether the long-awaited statehood dream becomes a reality. Speaking in Yoruba to a cheering crowd at the event, which also doubled as the midterm community assessment of the BATOGD Movement, the e senator warned that failure to re-elect him could…

An inmate at the Nigerian Correctional Service, Okere Custodial Centre in Warri, Delta State, has died following complications linked to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The deceased, identified simply as David, reportedly refused to take his prescribed antiretroviral drugs despite repeated counselling and interventions from medical personnel and prison officials. Confirming the incident on Sunday, Deputy Comptroller of Prisons, Richard Egbede, said the inmate’s condition had deteriorated weeks before his death. “We’ve been giving him the drugs consistently, but he would not take them. About a month ago, when his health got worse, we rushed him to Central Hospital, Warri,…

Tension gripped the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado Ekiti, on Friday when some accident victims allegedly turned violent and assaulted medical personnel attending to them. The ugly incident, which disrupted operations at the tertiary health facility, drew sharp condemnation from the Ekiti State Government which described the action as “barbaric and unacceptable.” Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, in a statement on Sunday, said the matter had been reported to the police while assuring that those behind the attack would face the full weight of the law. “Any form of violence, harassment, or intimidation against…

No fewer than 10 people, mostly children, have lost their lives in a boat mishap in Zalla Bango, a remote village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State. The Sokoto State Police Command confirmed the incident on Friday, saying the tragedy occurred when an overloaded wooden canoe capsized while ferrying villagers across a river. Police spokesperson, Ahmad Rufa’i, told newsmen that all the bodies were recovered the following day. “The corpses recovered were 10 in number, and most of them were children,” Rufa’i said. Though the exact cause of the trip remains unclear, reports suggest that the victims…

Grief-stricken residents of Angwan Rimi village in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have cried out for urgent government intervention after the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital allegedly suspended treatment for children and other victims of a recent bandit attack due to mounting unpaid bills. Community leaders, Barnabas Chinge and Comrade Raphael Joshua, in an open letter to Governor Uba Sani, said the August 24 night raid left seven villagers dead, scores wounded, and dozens of families homeless. According to the leaders, the attackers stormed the agrarian community in the dead of night, shooting sporadically, burning houses, and looting food…

The Olubadan-designate, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has urged the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, to intensify his efforts at fostering unity and peace among traditional rulers across Yorubaland. Ladoja made the call on Sunday while hosting the Ooni at his Bodija residence in Ibadan, Oyo State. Describing the Ife monarch as a “great unifier,” the former governor said the Ooni’s leadership style had promoted harmony not only among Yoruba traditional rulers but also within the wider Yoruba nation. He further tasked Mogajis (family and compound heads) in Ibadan to emulate the Ooni by ensuring peaceful coexistence within their…

A Benin-based cleric, Evangelist Isaac Josiah, has triggered heated reactions after a viral video showed him distributing bras, wrappers, and pyjamas to female worshippers he accused of dressing indecently to church. Josiah, the lead pastor of Reclaimers Ministry, was captured in a sermon on September 14, uploaded on the church’s official Facebook page, where he openly rebuked women who attended service without underwear or in revealing outfits. In the footage, the preacher ordered ushers to hand out bras and wrappers to any woman he deemed improperly dressed, claiming that such appearances distracted men during worship. “From today, any girl who…