Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal Government has defended the two-year delay in appointing ambassadors to Nigerian missions abroad, describing criticisms from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as “baseless” and a deliberate attempt to politicise the country’s foreign policy. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Alkasim Abdulkadir, Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the delay was part of President Bola Tinubu’s effort to reform Nigeria’s foreign service and ensure that future ambassadorial appointments are based on merit, competence, and national interest. This response came after Bolaji Abdullahi, interim national publicity secretary of the ADC,…

Daud  Olatunji  A prominent traditionalist and convener of the United Premier Movement (UPM), Hon. (Chief) Olalekan Shoyinka, has urged the International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR) to abandon its legal battle against the Ogun State Government and focus instead on safeguarding the integrity of Yoruba traditional institutions. Shoyinka, popularly known as Ayinla Egba, described the ICIR’s move to sue the state government over the Islamic burial of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, as a misplaced priority and a distraction from deeper cultural challenges facing the Yoruba monarchy. In a strongly worded statement made available to PLATFORM…

A Professor of Science Education, Adekunle Oladipupo Bamiro, has called for a sweeping reform of Chemistry education in Nigeria, urging the government and stakeholders to abandon outdated syllabi in favour of curricula that reflect the demands of the 21st century. Prof. Bamiro, who is also the Director of the Centre for Improvement of Teaching and Learning (CITEL) and Head of the Department of Chemical Sciences at Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijagun, made the call while delivering the institution’s 35th Inaugural Lecture, themed: “Bridging the Gap: Rethinking Curriculum in Chemistry Education for the 21st Century.” Speaking at the TETFund…

…FG Confirms 40m Nigerians Affected by Desertification Vice President Kashim Shettima has raised alarm over Nigeria’s worsening forest depletion, warning that the country is on the brink of an environmental and economic emergency that could cost it access to global markets and billions in untapped revenue. Speaking at the 2025 Nigeria Forest Economy Summit in Abuja, themed “Sustainability of Nigeria’s Forests: Unlocking the $2 Billion Potentials for Economic and Financial Inclusion”, Shettima disclosed that over 90 percent of Nigeria’s original forest cover has been lost, with more than 400,000 hectares disappearing annually. Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff…

A legal showdown is looming between the Ogun State Government and the International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR) following the controversial burial of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, who was laid to rest according to Islamic rites. The ICIR, through its President, Dr. Fayemi Fakayode, and legal representative, Ifasola Opeodu, has accused the state government and the monarch’s family of violating traditional burial protocols, warning that it will initiate legal proceedings to challenge what it describes as a desecration of Yoruba customs. At a press briefing in Ibadan, Oyo State, over the weekend, the Ifa Council…

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old female student and her boyfriend for allegedly staging her own kidnapping in a bid to extort N10 million from her family. The suspects, identified as Chinecherem Nwaokoye, a student of Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), and her 30-year-old partner, Chinecherem Aronu, were arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) after an intelligence-led operation. Spokesperson of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the arrest on Sunday, said Nwaokoye’s family had reported her missing on July 8, 2025, after she claimed she was returning home from school…

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has issued a stern warning that any traditional title holder within the emirate found guilty of beating or injuring his wife will be stripped of his title. Sanusi made this declaration on Monday, July 21, while receiving a delegation from the development Research and Project Center (dRPC) and the Center for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID) at Bayero University, Kano, during a visit to his palace. The visit was part of an advocacy project supported by the Ford Foundation aimed at mentoring Muslim opinion leaders to combat gender-based violence (GBV) across northern…

Nigeria’s economy recorded a year-on-year growth of 3.13 percent in the first quarter of 2025, driven largely by the services and non-oil sectors, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced on Monday. The latest figures, which follow a long-anticipated rebasing of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with 2019 as the new base year, show an improvement from the 2.27 percent growth recorded in the same quarter of 2024. According to the report, the services sector led the economic expansion with a 4.33 percent growth, contributing 57.50 percent to the total GDP during the period under review. NBS said the…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has launched a scathing attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing him as a “bad market” and insisting that no patriotic Nigerian would support his re-election bid in 2027. Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said Tinubu’s administration had failed on all fronts and accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of governing for self-interest. “With all the failures of the government of President Bola Tinubu, I can tell you that no patriotic Nigerian, group, or political party will support Tinubu in 2027. Tinubu is a bad market and…

Former Vice-Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, on Monday made a bold move to reconcile the party’s feuding factions, declaring his loyalty to the Julius Abure-led leadership while calling for unity and ideological discipline within the party. Baba-Ahmed attended a crucial National Executive Council (NEC) meeting convened by Abure’s faction in Abuja amid the party’s worsening leadership crisis. The LP is currently split between the Abure-led group and another faction led by former Finance Minister Nenadi Usman, who claims to be the interim national chairman. Speaking at the meeting, Baba-Ahmed described the LP as a…