Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Oluwanifemi Ibikunle The Federal Government has released eight months of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance owed to academic staff in federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country. The allowance, covering January to August 2026, is expected to provide financial support to lecturers and other eligible academic personnel for the purchase of tools and materials required for teaching, research and related academic duties. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation. Alausa said the release was in line with the provisions of the 2025 agreement between the Federal…

Zainab Abioye The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has come under fire after his comments questioning the practice of citizens recording police officers on duty triggered a heated debate over police accountability and transparency. Disu’s position has prompted Nigerians on X to demand the deployment of body-worn cameras for police officers, arguing that the technology would provide an independent record of police-citizen encounters and help protect both members of the public and officers from disputed or misleading accounts of incidents. The IGP spoke on Tuesday in Abuja when he received the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, and…

Zainab Abioye & Mujeeb Akindoyin The battle over who should fly the opposition’s presidential flag in the 2027 general election has triggered heated reactions on social media, with Nigerians divided over whether former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi or Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde should step aside for a consensus candidate. The debate followed renewed calls for opposition politicians to reach an agreement and present a single formidable candidate capable of challenging President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress at the 2027 poll. While supporters of the various political figures have continued to…

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of driving Nigerian businesses into deeper financial distress while foreign investors increasingly withdraw their funds from the country. Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, made the allegations in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu. The former vice-president based his claim partly on data from the Nigerian Exchange, which showed that foreign investors brought N513.36bn into the Nigerian equities market between January and July 2026 but withdrew N779.43bn during the same period. The figures, according to Atiku,…

Toyyibah Quasim The Egba Christian Chiefs Council has honoured the memory of the late Chief John Owolotan Okenla, a revered Christian warrior and pioneer of the faith in Egba land, 144 years after his death. The anniversary was marked with a Thanksgiving Service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Oke-Saje, Abeokuta, Ogun State, where Christian leaders and dignitaries celebrated Okenla’s contributions to the growth and spread of Christianity among the Egba people. Delivering the sermon at the service, Rev. Dr. Olurotimi Afuwape urged Christians to draw inspiration from the sacrifices of past Christian leaders while keeping their eyes firmly fixed on Jesus…

Okiwanifemi Ibikunle The Osun State Police Command has arrested a woman following the sudden death of a vigilante member identified as Sunday, popularly known as Apetu, after a sexual encounter in Ile-Ife. The incident occurred around 2:30pm on Sunday in the Odi-Olokun area of Ile-Ife, throwing residents into confusion as conflicting accounts emerged over the circumstances surrounding the man’s death. Apetu reportedly became critically distressed shortly after the encounter at Ooni Ilare Street. A video circulating on social media showed the man in apparent distress, with reports indicating that he was gasping and screaming while pleading with the woman to…

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the conviction of former Managing Director of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, Robert Orya, over a N2.4bn fraud case. The appellate court affirmed the conviction and sentence imposed on Orya by the Federal Capital Territory High Court on all 49 counts filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The EFCC disclosed the development in a statement on Tuesday. Orya was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment on each of the 49 counts, bringing the total sentence to 490 years. The sentences, however, were ordered to run concurrently. The former NEXIM…

By Dr. John Adenekan There are many ways to measure the legacy of a leader; through physical infrastructure, economic policies, or legislative achievements. Yet, the most enduring measure remains the human dimension: the number of lives meaningfully improved through intentional compassion. For Otunba Gbenga Daniel, this commitment has been embodied for over two decades by the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF). Established around the turn of the millennium, GFF has provided succour to the vulnerable, created opportunities for the disadvantaged, and empowered ordinary citizens toward self-reliance. As GFF prepares to partner with Sharing Hope Medical Mission (USA), Sharing Hope and Care…

..Challenges VCs To Woo Alumni, Philanthropists, Businesses, Research Funders …. Universities Told To Overhaul Alumni Databases As FG Plans New Financing Dramework Daud Olatunji The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has disclosed that only four of Nigeria’s 68 federal universities are effectively exploiting alternative sources of funding, warning that institutions relying heavily on government allocations risk stagnating. Alausa said universities must urgently diversify their funding sources by pursuing research grants, endowments, alumni donations, philanthropy and partnerships with the private sector. He described the low level of resource mobilisation among the institutions as unacceptable, stressing that government funding alone could…

An 87-year-old man, Dahiru Garba, has been arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Yola, Adamawa State, for allegedly attacking an Area Court judge with a cutlass. Garba, a resident of Korawa Village in Fufore Local Government Area, allegedly attacked the presiding judge of Mayo-Ine Area Court, Dauda Hamman, during court proceedings on August 31, 2026. The Adamawa State Police Command said the incident occurred while the judge was handling a case involving Garba and another man, identified as Ismail Yusuf. According to the police, Garba allegedly used a cutlass to attack the judge, repeatedly striking his hand and inflicting…