Author: Platform Times Newspaper

President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to urgently review and slash the cost of the 2026 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, citing the recent appreciation of the naira. The President’s order was disclosed on Monday by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Ibrahim Hadeija, after a high-level meeting with NAHCON officials at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. NAHCON had earlier fixed the fares at N8,318,336.67 for the Maiduguri-Yola Zone covering Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, and Taraba States, N8,244,813.67 for Northern States, and N8,561,013.67 for Southern States. Hadeija explained that the fares were pegged using an exchange rate…

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that a total of 6,856,979 Nigerians have pre-registered online in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise as of Week Seven, covering September 29 to October 5, 2025. According to the commission’s latest weekly update, women led the participation, with 3,581,562 registrants representing 52.23 percent, while men accounted for 3,275,417 or 47.77 percent. INEC also revealed that youths aged 18–34 years dominated the process, with 4,689,637 registrations, while students contributed 1,728,384 to the total figure. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) made up 154,479 of the pre-registrants. In addition to pre-registration, INEC disclosed that…

No fewer than 4,778 Nigerians have died of cholera between 2020 and 2024 despite billions of naira and several international interventions channelled into fighting the waterborne disease. Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) revealed that in 2021 alone, cholera claimed 3,604 lives out of over 111,000 suspected cases across 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory, making it the deadliest outbreak in recent years. The death toll has persisted, with over 300 lives lost so far in 2025. Of these, Zamfara State alone accounted for 179 deaths out of 12,052 suspected cases as of September,…

Former Edo State governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has cautioned ex-President Goodluck Jonathan against staging a political comeback in 2027, warning that such a move could erode the respect he currently enjoys as a statesman. Oshiomhole, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, insisted that only those who do not wish Jonathan well would push him to return to the presidential race, adding that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would defeat him with ease if he dares to contest. “How can Jonathan be a threat? We defeated him before when PDP was truly PDP,” the former APC…

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr. Thompson Oludare Sunday as the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC). Sunday, a seasoned financial expert with more than three decades of regulatory and supervisory experience, was confirmed by the Senate before assuming duty on July 25, 2025. A First Class graduate of Business Administration (Finance) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1985, Sunday also bagged an MBA from the same institution in 1988 and later capped his academic pursuits with a Doctorate Degree in Management from St. Clements University in 2009. His academic brilliance earned him…

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, has revealed that the recent strike action by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) cost the country over 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day and disrupted gas supply and power generation nationwide. Ojulari disclosed this on Sunday night after briefing President Bola Tinubu at his Lagos residence on the impact of the strike and ongoing reforms in the oil and gas sector. According to him, the industrial action, which affected critical facilities, forced a temporary shutdown of power generation…

Tension has enveloped Orisunmibare community in Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State after a quarry blast by Sequoia Mining Company Limited allegedly killed a 25-year-old man, Abiodun Alarape. The incident, which occurred two Saturdays ago at Akilapa area beside Rochas School along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, has triggered outrage and mass protests by residents who accused the Chinese-owned company of negligence and reckless operations. Eyewitnesses said Alarape, who worked at a nearby factory, was struck by flying rocks from the blast and died instantly. Enraged residents stormed the quarry on Monday, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Stop the killing,”…

Former Minister of Interior and National Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rauf Aregbesola, has called for a radical overhaul of Nigeria’s electoral leadership selection process. He insisted  that political parties with at least five lawmakers in the National Assembly should be allowed to nominate candidates for the position of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman. Aregbesola, who made the suggestion on Monday in Abuja at a panel session themed “Innovation in Electoral Technology 2015–2025”, argued that the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system cannot be guaranteed unless reforms begin with how the commission’s leadership is appointed. According to him,…

A lawyer, Johnmary Jideobi, has filed a suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop former President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting the 2027 presidential election. In the suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2102/2025, Jideobi asked the court to grant an order of perpetual injunction restraining Jonathan from presenting himself to any political party for nomination as its presidential candidate in 2027 or in any future election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) are also listed as second and third defendants in the suit. The plaintiff is further seeking an order barring INEC from…

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday faulted the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) for embarking on a nationwide strike over what he described as a “minor labour dispute,” warning that such actions threaten Nigeria’s fragile economy. Shettima, who spoke at the 31st Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja, said it was unnecessary for the oil workers’ union to “hold the whole nation to ransom” following the dismissal of some Nigerian staff by Dangote Refinery. PENGASSAN had on September 28 declared an indefinite strike to protest the sackings but later suspended the action on October 1…