Author: Platform Times Newspaper

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed deep concern over the backlog of federal contract payments, reportedly totalling about ₦4 trillion owed to over 2,000 contractors. At the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Tinubu directed the immediate formation of a high-level committee to address the bottlenecks and fast-track payments. His Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Monday. Onanuga said the President was “very, very upset” upon learning the extent of the indebtedness. “He made it very clear that he is not happy and wants a one-stop solution.…

The fight against drug abuse among young people took centre stage in Abeokuta on Wednesday, as the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, hosted the 5th edition of the Dr. Taiwo Adamson Annual Debate on Substance Use and Mental Wellness, a yearly forum designed to empower students with knowledge on the dangers of substance use. The event, which featured competitive debates among secondary school students, brought together medical experts, educators and youth advocates committed to reversing the alarming rise in drug abuse in Nigeria. Addressing participants, the Medical Director and Provost of the hospital, Dr. Paul Agboola, said…

A dramatic security breach unfolded on Wednesday at the General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport, Ilorin, after airport security apprehended a suspected stowaway attempting to hide between the tyres of a departing aircraft. The suspect, identified as Segun Martins, was caught clinging to the landing gear area of an Overland Airways aircraft preparing to taxi for takeoff. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), which confirmed the incident, said Martins gained unauthorised airside access in a desperate attempt to flee Nigeria, believing the aircraft was headed to the United States. NCAA spokesperson, Michael Achimugu, disclosed the details in a statement posted on…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has sounded a grave warning that Nigeria’s corruption crisis is so pervasive that strict enforcement of anti-graft laws could see the majority of citizens behind bars. The warning came from the ICPC Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner for Kaduna State, Sakaba Ishaku, during a capacity-building workshop on local government accountability held on Wednesday by the State Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Speaking under the theme, “Accountability in Local Government: A Springboard for National Development,” Ishaku said corruption has become “endemic and deeply entrenched across all levels of governance and society.”…

At least 32 Nigerians have been deported from India following a sweeping investigation into what authorities described as one of the country’s largest transnational drug trafficking and money-laundering networks. The deportations came after a series of coordinated raids late November by the Delhi Police in partnership with Telangana Police’s EAGLE unit, leading to the arrest of 50 Nigerian nationals believed to be part of a sprawling narcotics syndicate operating across several Indian cities. Indian security operatives said the network used courier and logistics companies as cover to ship illicit substances from Delhi to various parts of the country. A senior…

Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed widespread assumptions that ministers under former President Muhammadu Buhari amassed significant wealth, insisting that his monthly earnings in office were only N860,000, including allowances. Mohammed made the disclosure while reflecting on his experience in Buhari’s cabinet and addressing persistent public criticisms, particularly claims that he benefitted unduly from political office. “People talk about benefits from office and I laugh. In my time, no minister earned up to N900,000 a month,” he said. “My total earnings were N860,000, including feeding and housing allowances.” The former minister said many Nigerians incorrectly assume…

… Livestock Reform To Turn Conflict Areas into Ranches … Forest guards To Be Armed, Grazing Reserves Converted Into Ranches. Daud Olatunji The Federal Government has launched a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s rural-security framework following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for the urgent revival, arming and nationwide deployment of forest guards to reclaim Nigeria’s 1,129 forest reserves long overrun by terrorists, kidnappers and bandit gangs. Tinubu’s order, conveyed through a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, marks one of the most significant escalations of the administration’s security response, amid mounting concerns that existing…

The Federal Government on Wednesday arraigned a former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah, before an Abuja High Court on a five-count charge bordering on alleged fraud, obtaining by false pretence, and criminal breach of trust involving N2.4 billion. Oduah was arraigned alongside her co-defendant, Gloria Odita, over allegations that they conspired in January 2014 to siphon N2,469,030,738.90 from the Federal Ministry of Aviation through two companies — Broad Waters Resources Nigeria Ltd and Global Offshore Marine Ltd — under false claims. According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly “agreed amongst themselves to obtain a sum of ₦2,469,030,738.90 by false…

The Women Child Youth Health and Education Initiative (WCY), with support from the Malala Education Champion Network, has unveiled a new intervention aimed at enrolling adolescent mothers back into school across Bauchi State. Speaking at a one-day planning and inception meeting with education stakeholders on Wednesday, the Executive Director of WCY, Rashida Mukaddas, said the Adolescent Mothers Education Access (AMEA) project would run for three years and be implemented in three local government areas—Bauchi, Misau and Katagum. Mukaddas said the initiative seeks to break long-standing barriers preventing married girls, pregnant adolescents and young mothers from continuing their education. “Today marks…

The Director of Bee Solutions and Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology, Beatrice Olutoyin Opeolu, has described education  as the most reliable pathway out of poverty and a powerful social equaliser capable of opening doors many never imagined. Prof. Opeolu said this at the official inauguration of the Simbiat Olatunde Ibrahim Education for All Foundation in Imashayi, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State. The Director  said the foundation was established to promote the enduring values and legacies of her late parents, noting that its interventions would focus on education support, youth empowerment, and programmes targeted at vulnerable women across…