Author: Platform Times Newspaper

…. Former VP Says Unexplained Headaches Prompted Testing Of Fresh Juice Consumed Daily ….Raises Alarm Over Chemicals Allegedly Used To Ripen, Preserve Fruits In Nigeria Daud Olatunji Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has raised concerns over food safety in Nigeria after laboratory analysis reportedly found that freshly squeezed orange juice consumed by his wife, Dolapo, was unfit for human consumption. Osinbajo disclosed this while speaking at the Open Day of the Gardeners’ Seminar, themed “Leaving the Earth Better Than We Found It,” held in Lagos on August 28. According to the former vice-president, his wife had abandoned carbonated drinks for freshly…

Daud Olatunji The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has raised the alarm over low vaccination coverage among diphtheria patients, saying about 68 per cent of confirmed cases recorded in the country involved people who were not vaccinated against the disease. The NCDC also disclosed that eight states account for about 98 per cent of Nigeria’s confirmed diphtheria cases, highlighting the concentration of the outbreak in parts of Northern Nigeria. The agency identified the affected states as Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Borno, Bauchi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara. The Principal Health Communication Officer in the Department of Disease Prevention and Health…

Oluwanifemi Ibikunle Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, has dissolved all existing anti-illegal mining committees in the state and ordered the immediate constitution of an eight-member task force to intensify the crackdown on illegal mining and environmental degradation. The development, announced on Saturday, comes amid heightened government efforts to halt unauthorised mining activities, forest destruction and other environmental abuses across the state. The new task force, according to a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Gebon Kataps, is expected to enforce the state government’s directives against illegal mining and ensure compliance with measures aimed at protecting Taraba’s forests…

Zainab Abioye The Defence Headquarters has said troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces rescued 36 abducted persons and neutralised several terrorists, including two suspected kingpins, during operations across parts of the country. The operations, conducted between August 31 and September 3, 2026, also led to the recovery of firearms, ammunition, motorcycles and improvised explosive device components, according to the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Michael Onoja. Onoja disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, detailing the military’s operations against terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the North-East and North-West. In Borno State, troops neutralised a terrorist on September 1…

Grace Adeleke The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested 22 persons suspected of engaging in cross-dressing, hook-up activities and drug abuse in different parts of the state. The Deputy Commander General of the board, Dr Mujahid Aminuddeen, disclosed this on Saturday, saying the suspects were apprehended following complaints from residents and surveillance by Hisbah operatives. According to him, the suspects comprised 12 men and 10 women and were arrested around Zoo Road, Court Road and other neighbouring areas in Kano. Aminuddeen alleged that most of the suspects had entered Kano from other states, adding that those arrested admitted during questioning…

Mujeeb Akindoyin The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has ordered the immediate dissolution of all ad hoc committees of the House over their failure to complete assigned responsibilities and submit reports within the stipulated timeframe. The directive, contained in a circular signed by the Clerk of the House, Sidi Ibrahim, took effect from Friday, August 28, 2026. The development followed the expiration of deadlines earlier given to the temporary committees to conclude their assignments and submit their reports in accordance with the Standing Orders and established practices of the House. The Clerk said only two of the…

Daud Olatunji The Federal Government has been unable to provide sufficient records to establish that N33.75bn in electronic cash transfers made to more than 3.29 million households in 2023 actually reached genuine beneficiaries, according to the Auditor-General for the Federation. The disclosure is contained in the Auditor-General’s 2024 Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, which examined financial transactions of the National Cash Transfer Office in Abuja for the 2023 financial year. The report raised eight separate audit queries involving billions of naira and identified significant weaknesses in the financial controls of the cash transfer programme.…

Zainab Abioye A professor at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Tunji Ogunyemi, has warned that restoring petrol subsidy could trigger a severe revenue crisis, potentially leaving more than 15 northern states unable to sustain their operations within three months. Ogunyemi said a return to the subsidy regime would reduce revenue accruing to the Federation Account, from which most state governments depend heavily on monthly allocations to finance salaries, pensions and other recurrent obligations. The university don made the assertion while speaking on Open Forum 360, a podcast hosted by Dare Adekanmbi. His warning followed a proposal by former Vice-President…

…. Victims count losses as counterfeit notes spread across Biu, Kwaya Kusar markets Daud Olatunji Traders in parts of Borno State have raised the alarm over the alleged circulation of counterfeit ₦1,000 notes, saying the development is causing financial losses, disrupting commercial activities and eroding trust between buyers and sellers. The traders, particularly those operating at the Kwaya Kusar Grains Market, said the alleged circulation was not restricted to Kwaya Kusar but had also been noticed in markets across Biu and Bayo Local Government Areas. They made the disclosure in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Kwaya…

…23 deaths recorded as suspected cases spread across four LGAs Daud Olatunji The Plateau State Government has ordered the immediate closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools in the state following an outbreak of diphtheria that has reportedly claimed 23 lives. The directive, which takes effect on Monday, September 7, 2026, will remain in force indefinitely as the government intensifies efforts to contain the spread of the highly infectious disease. The government said the decision was taken as a precautionary measure to protect pupils, students, teachers and other members of the school community from contracting the disease.…