Author: Platform Times Newspaper

— Says He Avoided Watching Final Over Blood Pressure Fears President Bola Tinubu on Monday hosted Nigeria’s senior women’s national football team, the Super Falcons, in a colourful presidential reception at the State House, Abuja, following their historic victory over Morocco at the just-concluded Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON). Addressing the jubilant players, Tinubu confessed that he initially refrained from watching the tense final match for fear of aggravating his blood pressure. “I didn’t want to watch the match initially because I don’t want high blood pressure,” the president said to laughter from the audience. “My wife was cooking…

The United States Mission in Nigeria has issued a stern warning to Nigerians seeking to travel to the US for the primary purpose of giving birth, saying such applications will be denied. In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, the Mission made it clear that “birth tourism” — the practice of traveling to the US solely to have a child obtain American citizenship — is not permitted under existing US immigration laws. “Using your visa to travel for the primary purpose of giving birth in the United States so that your child will have…

Six Nigerian Law School students en route to the Yola campus have been abducted by suspected kidnappers who are now demanding a ransom of N20 million for each student, totaling N120 million. The victims, identified as Rev. Ernest Okafor, Ogbuka Fabian, Nwamma Philip, Okechukwu Obadiegwu, Obalem Emmanuel, and Obiorah David, were reportedly travelling from Onitsha, Anambra State, to resume studies after their court externship when they were kidnapped on Saturday, July 26, along the Wukari–Benue axis. Multiple sources confirmed that the students were intercepted along a notorious stretch of road between Taraba and Benue states, a region increasingly plagued by…

…To Rename FIRS as Nigeria Revenue Service by January 2026 The Federal Government has directed banks and other financial institutions in Nigeria to begin submitting detailed monthly reports of high-value transactions to tax authorities, as part of an intensified crackdown on tax evasion and illicit financial flows. According to provisions under the newly amended Nigerian Tax Act, effective from January 2026, banks will be required to report all individual transactions exceeding ₦25 million and corporate transactions surpassing ₦100 million within a single month to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), which will be rebranded as the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).…

…Says IPPIS Removal, Full Retirement Pay Among Major Wins The immediate-past National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, has declared that the union’s sustained struggles during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari prevented the total collapse of Nigeria’s public university system. Speaking at a reception organised in his honour on Monday at the ASUU Secretariat of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Osodeke described the Buhari era, particularly under former Labour Minister Chris Ngige, as a difficult period for the education sector. He said ASUU had to endure numerous battles,…

A 27-year-old bride, identified as Merit Alice, has been arrested by the Delta State Police Command for allegedly faking her own kidnap to escape pressure after squandering N3.6 million meant for her brother’s tricycle purchase. Alice, who confessed to the crime, admitted that she diverted the money to fund her lavish bridal shower and lodge her friends in hotels during her wedding held in March 2025. According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, the suspect staged her abduction after her brother began to demand a refund of the funds he entrusted to her. “In her confession,…

The Federal Government has disclosed that Nigeria suffers an annual economic loss of between ₦13.3 trillion and ₦17.9 trillion due to hepatitis-related health and productivity costs, while an estimated 4,252 Nigerians die each year from liver cancer linked to untreated hepatitis infections. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, made this known on Monday during a media briefing to mark the 2025 World Hepatitis Day, themed “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down.” Represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr.Dr Godwin Ntadom, the minister described Nigeria’s hepatitis crisis as “a silent epidemic,” revealing that the country ranks…

Twenty-two teenagers from the historic city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, were on Sunday honoured for achieving a rare religious feat—memorising the entire Glorious Qur’an. The young scholars, all under the age of 18, graduated from the Rowdotu-t-Tanzeel Tahfeez Arabic School at a grand ceremony marking the fourth edition of the school’s annual Qur’an memorisation and Islamic education graduation. The event drew a large gathering of Islamic scholars, academics, dignitaries, and proud parents from within and outside Nigeria, with some participants also joining virtually. With flawless recitations, the young graduates moved the audience to tears, showcasing not just their mastery of…

Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic reforms, saying they are rekindling investor confidence and stimulating growth in Nigeria’s private sector. Dangote made this known over the weekend when the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, visited the $20 billion Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. Describing President Tinubu as a “listening leader,” Dangote lauded key policy moves such as the “Naira-for-Crude” initiative and the “Nigeria First” strategy, which he said have significantly improved crude oil supply to domestic refineries and introduced greater stability…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has refuted claims that he allocated 501 hectares of land in Abuja to a Ghanaian businessman, Sam Jonah, for the development of River Park Estate. Obasanjo’s denial was contained in a letter dated July 10, 2025, addressed to the Inspector General of Police in response to an earlier inquiry dated July 4, 2025. Sam Jonah, a Knight of the British Empire and founder of Jonah Capital, had alleged in a petition to the police that the ex-president granted him ownership of the vast land where the sprawling River Park Estate in Lugbe, Abuja, now stands. But…