Author: Platform Times Newspaper

Public health advocacy groups have thrown their weight behind the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over its ban on alcoholic beverages sold in sachets, PET bottles, and glass bottles of 200ml and below, describing the regulatory action as a “long-overdue intervention” to protect vulnerable Nigerians. In a joint statement on Sunday, the Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) said the ban, which targets products that make highly potent alcohol cheaply and easily accessible, is crucial to safeguarding children, youths, and other at-risk populations. The groups highlighted…

….Consumers In Abia, Benue, Imo, Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa rejoice ….Improved Farm Supply, Better Security Boost Market Availability Consumers in Benue, Abia, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states are rejoicing over the sharp drop in prices of most foodstuffs in markets. A cross-section of consumers said on Sunday in the states that prices of most foodstuffs, especially grains, had dropped significantly. A Makurdi resident, Victoria Ogwuche, said she could now buy a mudu of beans at the rate of N1,500 as against N2,300 in 2024. Mrs Ogwuche said she could now purchase a half tin of rice (half of 25 kg…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday publicly declared that he had forgiven former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, bringing an end to their 19-year political feud. Obasanjo made the announcement at Fayose’s 65th birthday celebration in Lagos, where he stunned guests by openly addressing the long-standing rift between them. Speaking at the event, the former President said the occasion called for “celebration, reflection and correction,” noting that Fayose had made commendable political strides despite their differences. “You are not the best of my political children, but you have made achievements that must not be ignored,” Obasanjo said in a viral…

Renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has dismissed renewed calls for his arrest over his engagements with bandits, insisting he committed no crime by exploring dialogue as a tool to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity. Gumi, in a strongly worded statement released on his Facebook page on Sunday, described his critics as “spineless, irresponsible and unpatriotic imbecilic people” who are driven by bigotry and intolerance for opposing views on national security. The Kaduna-based cleric, who has repeatedly courted controversy for meeting bandits across the North-West, said those demanding that security agencies “pick him up” have chosen outrage over reason, and politics…

A Nigerian Navy officer, Lieutenant A.M. Yarima, on Sunday evening narrowly escaped an alleged assassination attempt in Abuja, days after his widely publicised confrontation with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, PLATFORM TIMES reports. Military sources told our correspondent that the officer was trailed by suspected assailants around 6:30 p.m. while driving from the NIPCO Filling Station off the Line Expressway towards Gado Nasco Way. The suspects, described as men dressed entirely in black and riding in two unmarked Hilux vans without number plates, reportedly stalked his vehicle for several minutes. Sensing danger, Lt. Yarima was said…

The Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated the newly elected National Working Committee, describing the outcome of the party’s national convention as a reaffirmation of PDP’s resolve to rebuild and reposition ahead of future elections. The convention, held on November 15 and 16 at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, produced Barrister (Dr.) Kabiru Tanimu Turaki as National Chairman, alongside other national officers. In a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Otunba Kayode Adebayo, the Ogun PDP also celebrated the emergence of its former state secretary, Omo’ba Dr. Sunday Solarin, as the new National Deputy…

Top economic, legislative and academic leaders have warned that Nigeria risks losing its competitive edge unless citizens and businesses urgently adopt digital skills and technology-driven practices. The caution was issued on Sunday, at the 2025 National Convention of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta Muslim Alumni Association (MAPAMA), held in Ikeja, Lagos, with the theme: “Entrepreneurship in Action: Building Ethical Enterprises in Uncertain Times.” Chairman of the occasion and Managing Director/CEO of CRC Credit Bureau, Dr. Ahmed Tunde Popoola, described digital adoption as a “non-negotiable lifeline” for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which he noted contribute about 40 per cent…

Detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has filed a ₦50 billion lawsuit against the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) over what he described as a forged and misleading medical report that claimed he was fit to stand trial. Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), submitted the fresh suit before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), alleging that the NMA panel failed to examine him as ordered by the Federal High Court. Justice James Omotosho had, on September 26, directed the NMA president to set up…

Aishah Waliyullah & Fawaz Adebisi The Ogun State Government and the Al-Maqbarah Muslim Forum have warned residents, particularly Muslim families, against the continued practice of burying corpses within residential premises, describing it as illegal, unhealthy and contrary to Islamic teachings. The warning was issued on Saturday at a capacity-building workshop organised by the Forum at the Crescent Muslim Professionals Hall, Abeokuta. With the theme “Sunnatic Ethics of Pre and Post Transition for the Deceased,” the workshop drew Islamic scholars, clerics, professors, traditional rulers and representatives of Muslim organisations across the state. ‘Home Burial Is Illegal Under Nigerian Law’ — Commissioner…

A 27-year-old Nigerian man, Chukwuebuka Eweni, has been arrested by police in New Orleans, United States, after allegedly stabbing his father to death and attacking his two sisters during a violent domestic incident on Pebble Street. The deceased, identified by family members as Samuel Eweni, was a respected computer science professor at the Southern University at New Orleans. Relatives told WWL Louisiana that the attack was “sudden and shocking,” noting that although the suspect had a history of mental illness, he had never previously exhibited violent behaviour. According to the account, the two daughters survived the attack. One has since…