Author: Platform Times Newspaper

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) has unveiled two groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence-driven research projects aimed at revolutionising infectious disease surveillance and response in Nigeria. The projects, launched under the institution’s AIA4OneHealth initiative, were formally introduced on Tuesday at the Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Development and Sustainable Environment (CEADESE), with Ogun State selected as the pilot site. Backed by the Artificial Intelligence for Pandemic and Epidemic Preparedness (AI4PEP) Network at the University of Toronto, Canada, through a  grant from the International Development Research Council (IDRC) and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the initiative seeks to strengthen…

A former Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, has called on the Federal Government to prioritise the reduction of maternal mortality by subsidising childbirth and expanding access to free healthcare. Adewole, who spoke on Wednesday in Ibadan, described Nigeria’s persistently high maternal mortality rate as a national shame that requires urgent government intervention. According to him, the government must adopt sustainable funding models to prevent avoidable deaths during childbirth. He recommended that childbirth should be subsidised and, where possible, made free—capped at four deliveries in line with the national population policy. “We need to prevent women from dying. Many women…

The Ogun State Government has cautioned stakeholders in charge of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme to guard against unscrupulous individuals who may attempt to sabotage the initiative aimed at alleviating poverty. The Head of Service, Mr. Kehinde Onasanya, gave the warning during a stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting on the National Social Safety Nets Programme Scale Up (NASSP-SU) held in Abeokuta. Onasanya, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Mr. Jola Oyeneye, stressed that stakeholders must remain vigilant against manipulators and other unjust practices capable of undermining the programme. He assured that both the Federal and Ogun…

… Pilot Refuses Take-Off Until Man Is Removed There was a mild drama on Wednesday, when an elderly passenger was  removed from a Nigerian domestic flight after he allegedly threatened to slap an air hostess who asked him to vacate an emergency exit seat. The incident, which occurred at an unnamed airport, forced the pilot to suspend the flight until the man was escorted out of the aircraft by security operatives. Spokesman for the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Michael Achimugu, confirmed the development in a statement posted on his social media page, stressing that threats of violence against crew…

A court in Equatorial Guinea has sentenced former senior government official, Baltasar Ebang Engonga, to eight years imprisonment after finding him guilty of diverting public funds for personal use. The Bioko Provincial Tribunal ruled on Tuesday that Engonga, once head of the country’s national financial investigation agency, embezzled funds earmarked for official travel. In addition to the jail term, the disgraced official was ordered to pay a fine of $220,000. According to Hilario Mitogo, Press Director of the Supreme Court, Engonga and five other senior officials were prosecuted for misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars belonging to the state. Engonga’s…

Controversial Nigerian crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has stirred emotions online after revealing he dreamt about his late father. Bobrisky, who shared the emotional experience on his Instagram page on Wednesday, said the dream left him in tears when he woke up. In a heartfelt note, the Lagos-born socialite recounted fond memories with his late father, including moments of care and support he rendered while he was alive. “Daddy, you appeared to me in my dream this morning. You miss how I spoiled you silly on earth, right? You miss how I did your laundry, cooked for you…

Nigerians paid kidnappers a staggering N2.57 billion as ransom between July 2024 and June 2025, a new report by geopolitical research firm, SBM Intelligence, has revealed. The report, titled “Economics of Nigeria’s Kidnap Industry”, noted that kidnappers demanded a total of N48 billion within the one-year period, but received only a fraction of the amount. According to the study, at least 4,722 people were abducted in 997 incidents, while no fewer than 762 persons lost their lives in kidnap-related violence. “Kidnapping has evolved into a highly lucrative criminal enterprise in Nigeria, with 4,722 civilians abducted and N2.56 billion confirmed in…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has intensified its clampdown on fake and unregistered drugs, raiding illegal markets in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, and Asaba, with seized products valued at over N110 million. In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said the nationwide special enforcement operation targeted street hawkers and peddlers who openly sold fake, expired, and unapproved pharmaceutical products in defiance of regulations. Items confiscated during the raids included aphrodisiacs, oxytocins, narcotic analgesics, tramadol, morphine, sex-enhancement drugs, antibiotics, painkillers, and several other unwholesome products considered unsafe for human consumption. No fewer than 15 suspects were arrested…

A Nigerian man, Oluwasegun Baiyewu, has been convicted in the United States for his role in a wide-ranging international fraud and money laundering conspiracy that targeted vulnerable Americans, including the elderly. Baiyewu, 37, of Richmond, Texas, was found guilty on Monday after a 22-day trial in San Juan, Puerto Rico. U.S. prosecutors said he conspired with four other Nigerians—Oluwaseun Adelekan, 40, and Temitope Omotayo, 40, both of Staten Island, New York; Ifeoluwa Dudubo, 37, of Austin, Texas; and Temitope Suleiman, 37—to launder funds derived from romance scams, pandemic relief fraud, unemployment insurance scams, and business email compromise (BEC) schemes. Court…

Lafarge Africa Plc has launched EcoCrete, Nigeria’s first low-carbon ready-mix concrete, designed to cut carbon emissions in the construction sector while maintaining top performance. The product, unveiled in Lagos on Wednesday, promises at least a 20 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to conventional cement-based concrete. Lafarge said the rollout began with the full conversion of its Abuja Ready-Mix plant to EcoCrete production. Speaking at the launch, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Africa, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, said the innovation demonstrates the company’s resolve to lead Nigeria’s transition to greener construction. “EcoCrete expands our sustainable solutions…