Author: Platform Times Newspaper

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…

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has admitted in evidence two mobile phones seized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) from the suspended Dean of Faculty of Law at the University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon, who is facing alleged sexual harassment. Justice James Omotosho admitted the mobile devices after they were tendered by the ICPC’s lawyer, Osuobeni Akponimisingha on Monday.  Before now, the court had granted bail to Ndifon in the sum of N250 million with two sureties in the like sum. The randy lecturer was re-arraigned alongside on Jan. 25, on an…

Many Nigerians residing in Benin city, capital of Edo State, have expressed concern over the hike in price of cooking gas, which now sells for N1,400 per kilogramme. Ekata Ogieva, a cooking gas vendor said that the recent increment in the price of cooking gas was due to short supply. “We bought 50kg of cooking gas for N45,000 a week ago, but it has gone up to N60,000. In 2023 December, we bought 50kg cooking gas for N44,000. “The painful situation is that we can only get about 45kg of gas from the 50kg gas cylinder after sales, so we…