Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The West African Examination Council has banned 13 schools in Kogi State for various examination malpractices in the 2023/2024 examinations. The state’s Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, made the disclosure during a meeting with some principals and supervisors indicted by the council for the examination malpractices. The commissioner also disclosed that the council had blacklisted 14 supervisors for various degrees of malpractice in the 2023/2024 West Africa Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the state. According to him, the government vowed to sanction principals, teachers and supervisors who engaged in or aided examination malpractices in the state. Mr Jones emphasised…

The federal government says Nigerian children suffer poverty more than adults and are likely to be deprived of all 10 of the multidimensional poverty indicators. Senator Abubakar Bagudu, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2024 World Children’s Day celebration with the theme “Listen to the Future”. The day, a United Nations observance day, is commemorated on November 20 every year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide and improve their welfare. At the 2024 commemoration, celebrated by the federal government, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other stakeholders,…

A top court in the British Virgin Islands has granted Chinese investors Zhongshan the authority to seize £20 million ($25 million) from Nigeria’s foreign denominated assets over an Ogun trade zone deal that fell through in the early 2000s under then governor Ibikunle Amosun. Justice Paul Webster of the British Virgin Islands High Court on November 8 held that Nigeria was not immune to execution of an arbitral award and subsequent judgment debt in favour of a Chinese company Zhongshan as a result of the wording of the underlying bilateral investment treaty concluded between China and Nigeria. The judge held…

The Ogun State Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Abioro Itunu Temitayo, has announced his resignation, citing overwhelming pressures and personal fatigue as the reasons for stepping down. In a heartfelt letter addressed to the party leadership, Abioro expressed his admiration for the ADC’s structure, support system, and ideology, while acknowledging the immense demands of his position. “I love absolutely everything about this political party; the structures, the support, and everyone who has helped in making this party great, from the National Chairman, High Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, all the way to the ward chairmen,” Abioro wrote. “But there…

Febe Falodun & Deborah Hundenu The Federal Medical Centre, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, descended into chaos on Wednesday, as two opposing factions among the hospital staff clashed over the retirement of the Head of Administration, Mr. David Akaraiwe. The tense atmosphere exposed deep divisions over the outgoing HOD’s controversial policies and leadership style. Members of the Senior Staff Association of the University Teaching Hospital, dressed in black attire, staged a symbolic protest against Akaraiwe, condemning him as an authoritarian leader whose policies negatively impacted staff welfare. However, the HOD’s supporters, dressed in white, rallied around him, praising his tenure and celebrating his…

Seven officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been declared missing following an ambush by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Kaduna State. The NSCDC spokesperson, Afolabi Babawale, disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that the incident occurred on Monday in the Farin-Kasa area of Chikun Local Government Area while the officers were inspecting the national grid installation in Shiroro, Niger State. According to Babawale, the team, comprising nine officers and 71 other ranks, was deployed to monitor vulnerable sections of the national grid following a series of attacks on power lines that had caused widespread blackouts…

Four Nigerian students have been sentenced to prison in the United Kingdom for their involvement in a violent street brawl in Leicester City centre that left an 18-year-old man with stab wounds. The convicts, identified as Destiny Ojo, Joshua Davies-Ero, Ridwanulahi Raheem, and Habib Lawal, all aged 21, engaged in the fight at approximately 3:00 a.m. GMT on November 4, 2021. Weapons used during the altercation included knives, a baseball bat, and a crutch, according to evidence presented during a six-week trial at Leicester Crown Court. The Leicestershire Police, in a statement released on Monday, detailed how the suspects were…

In a decisive effort to clamp down on criminal activities in Taraba State, troops of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Brigade have apprehended a suspected informant for bandits during a clearance operation across several local government areas. The suspect, identified as 73-year-old Alhaji Buba Maru, was reportedly aiding bandits by allocating land for their operations in the Bakin Dutse Mountains of Ardo-Kola Local Government Area. The operation, which targeted notorious criminal hideouts, aimed to ensure the safety of residents during the harvest season and the forthcoming yuletide celebrations. Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Capt. Oni Olubodunde, disclosed in a statement on…

A Nigerian military camp was subjected to a major attack by Islamic State fighters in northern Nigeria, resulting in deaths and significant material losses. Military sources said that Islamic State fighters attacked the Nigerian Army camp in the town of Kareto in Borno State on Saturday with various weapons. Although there is no official confirmation of the casualty figures, sources said about 20 soldiers were killed. The sources added that the violent clashes erupted between the fighters and army forces, including a suicide bombing with a car bomb. They explained that the attack led to the destruction of a military…

No fewer than 25 lives have been lost to a recent outbreak of Gastroenteritis, also known as Cholera, in Sokoto State, with 15 others currently hospitalised. The outbreak has affected three local government areas: Sokoto North, Silame, and Kware, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Asabe Balarabe, confirmed the figures during a press briefing in Sokoto. She disclosed that laboratory tests conducted on samples from the affected individuals confirmed the presence of active Cholera cases. “Currently, we have 15 active cases under treatment in Sokoto North, Silame, and Kware. Sadly, we have…