Author: Platform Times Newspaper

For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning can be a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures and teaching approaches available. Oluwatobi Odeyinka writes.  Helen Samuel is a 40-year-old HND 2 student at The Polytechnic, Ibadan. And while her mobility disability couldn’t stop her from pursuing education to the tertiary level, it subjected her academic journey to a snail’s pace from attending a public primary school in Akoko village of Ondo State to The Polytechnic, Ibadan. Driven by a burning passion for education, Ms Samuel persists but describes her academic journey as “hell”. According to her, her legs have been paralyzed since she was a child and no exact…

Daud Olatunji In a significant development, France has declared its commitment to returning $150 million looted by former Nigerian head of State, Sani Abacha. This announcement was reiterated during the 10th Conference of the State Parties (CoSP) to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). This was disclosed in a Joint release issued by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/ Transparency International (TI) Nigeria’s Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rasfanjani, and TI France’s Head of Illicit Financial Flows Programme, Sara Brimbeuf. The statement read that the funds were part of approximately $500 million identified in a 2014 U.S. court judgment that…

In a significant stride toward operationalizing the world’s largest single-train refinery, the Dangote Refinery has received a second shipment of one million barrels of bonny light crude from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).  This delivery follows closely on the heels of the first one million barrels of Agbami crude received a week ago, marking the second phase of the anticipated six million barrels for the refinery. The latest consignment, sourced from the Shell terminal via the MT Otis owned by Trafigura, underscores the strategic collaboration between industry players in Nigeria’s oil sector. Mr. Akin Omole, the Managing Director…

 Ogun State  government has unveiled  its plans to renovate a total of 472 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) spread throughout the state.  PLATFORM TIMES reports that many of the PHCs had been moribund while others were dilapidated . The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, disclosed this  during the official commissioning of the Royal Health Center in Ake. Coker highlighted that the commitment to revamp the healthcare infrastructure was not a mere promise but a tangible goal, with 236 PHCs earmarked for renovation in the first term of the present administration. The ambitious plan aims to extend this facelift to…

In a compassionate move to address the dual calamities of migrating elephants and relentless flooding, Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State took swift action by providing financial assistance to over 10,000 families in the Kala-Balge Local Government Area. The Kala-Balge communities, situated in the path of elephant migration routes from Cameroon’s Lagdo Dam shores to Lake Chad, faced severe challenges as the wild beasts devoured a significant portion of the annual farm produce. This ongoing issue has consistently eroded the livelihoods of the majority of residents in the area. Adding to their plight, this year saw the local government cut…

Ondo State Acting Governor, Hon Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has presented the proposed N384.533 billion 2024 budget to the State House of Assembly.  The budget, named the “Budget of Economic Resilience,” outlines ambitious allocations for various sectors, with infrastructural development taking the lead. In the presentation before the State House of Assembly, Aiyedatiwa detailed the budget, allocating N212,014,859,647.00 for capital expenditure and N172,518,140,353.00 for recurrent expenditure. Notably, the infrastructural development sector received the lion’s share, amounting to N95,482,176,340.36, constituting 24.8% of the entire budget proposal. The acting governor justified the emphasis on infrastructure, citing its pivotal role in stimulating the economy…

In a decisive move against corruption within the police force, the Commissioner of Police for Oyo State, Adebola Hamzat, has taken swift action by ordering the immediate dismissal of two Special Constabulary officers.  The officers, identified as Jimoh Lukman and Kareem Fatai, were publicly paraded at the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan. The dismissal stems from an incident captured in a viral video where Lukman and Fatai were caught demanding money from a Dutch tourist. The tourist, riding a power bike from the Netherlands en route to Abuja, found himself targeted by the two officers engaging in extortion.…

Daud Olatunji  In a shocking turn of events, the Nigerian Army has come under scrutiny for the arrest of Peter Chibuzo Agwu during his wedding ceremony in Abia State.  The arrest was allegedly triggered by someone on the military’s wanted list sharing Agwu’s wedding invitation on Facebook. Family members express deep concern as Chibuzo remains in solitary confinement at the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu State, unaware of the charges against him. Samuel Agwu, the elder brother, revealed that the military has not disclosed any specific offense committed by Chibuzo, questioning the justification for ruining his wedding.…

The federal government has officially concluded its investigation into the alleged poisoning of 18 pupils at St. James Primary School, Owo-Ope, Osogbo. Contrary to initial concerns, the investigation found no evidence of poisoning and has determined the incident to be a case of misinformation. In a press statement released by Olumobi John Adewale from the Office of the School Feeding Programme, it was revealed that Dr. Yetunde Adeniji, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding, was appointed to conduct a thorough fact-finding mission. The team, during their visit to St James RCM Primary School, discovered that the…

In a decisive move, the House of Representatives on Thursday, December 21, unanimously passed a motion calling for stringent regulations on Point-of-Sale (POS) operators in Nigeria. The focus of the motion was to cease the sale of naira notes by these operators and eliminate excessive charges levied on customers, addressing growing concerns over alleged malpractices. The motion, titled “Need to Curb the Sale of Naira Notes by Point-of-Sales (POS) Operators in Nigeria,” was presented by Hon. Mohammed Dan Abba Shehu. It prompted the House to direct the Committees on Banking Regulations, Digital, and Electronic Banking to summon the Minister…