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500 golfers to rumble, as Nigeria’s 61st Independence Anniversary Golf Tourney Tees Off Thursday
Joel Ajayi
About 500 golfers including guests, veterans, ladies across and outside the country will take part in the 61st Independence Anniversary Golf Tournament organised by the IBB international golf and country club this 30th of September, 2021 in the Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja.
The annual tournament, an event put in place to celebrate the 61st Nigeria Independence celebration is a one week long event that commenced on the 30th of September, to be climaxed come 3rd of October.
This was revealed at the event’s pre-tournament press briefing, which was held at the IBB Golf on Tuesday, in Abuja. The Chairman, organizing committee and Vice Captain of IBB golf club, Mr Mike Onoja Ekoja, said the aim of the tournament is to create more awareness on the need for peace and unity in the country.
According to him, the tournament will involve all golfers and guests across the country, including Ghana, as a way to celebrate with Nigeria at her 61st anniversary.
“For this year’s tournament, we are expecting over 500 golfers, both national and international.”
When asked on the state of the golf course and security measures put in place, Mr Efoja assured that the course is in order.
“We are working on it, the course is in top notch, come rain, come shine.”
He said all Covid-19 protocols would be observed during, before and after the tournament.
The Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Mr Ekoja, therefore, called on all Nigerians to be part of the celebration saying that, the tournament remains another way of creating more awareness about the game of golf in the country.
Meanwhile, the competition Secretary, Mr Julius Fadairo, revealed that though, the tournament is not for prizes but each categories will have trophy and token attached while the overall winner will also smile home.
The competition that will start on thursday, having its activities as follows:
All men playing off handicap 19 and above will play on Thursday 30th while all ladies playing off Handicap 19 and above will play on Thursday also.
“All super veterans, 70 years and above will play off the blue markers and tee off on Thursday.
” All men playing Handicap 0-18 irrespective of veteran status will play on Friday, October 1st 2021.
All ladies playing off handicap 0-18 will as well, play on October 1st 2021.”
Featured
Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold
Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria-United States Committee on Strategic Cooperation in the Solid Minerals Sector in Abuja, dismissing reports that Nigeria sold $700 billion worth of solid minerals to the US.
The inauguration followed the strategic cooperation framework established between Nigeria and the United States during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head PRESS and Public Relations Department Mrs. Kania Maliki Andeyaba stated that, Alake in the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, signed with the US is a government-to-government platform to facilitate business-to-business engagements between American investors and Nigerian local operators, not a sale of assets.
Harping on the importance of the solid minerals sector to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, he noted that the administration was committed to reducing dependence on a mono-product economy through the sustainable development of Nigeria’s vast mineral resources.
According to him, the Nigeria–US partnership as a strategic initiative to attract investment, promote technology transfer, strengthen local mineral processing and create employment opportunities.
“There is no sale of any Nigerian asset. There’s nothing exchanging hands,” Alake declared.
“We created a platform to facilitate mingling of US investment ventures with Nigeria’s local operators. It is in the public domain. We signed it in public and published it in four or five national newspapers.”
The Minister said reports claiming the US was coming to take over Nigeria’s minerals and security architecture were untrue at best and products of riotous imagination at worst.
Explaining the policy thrust, Alake said Africa has historically held the short end of the stick in global economic transactions, and Nigeria is determined to change that model.
“We have the resources, the critical elements the world needs to transit to clean energy. So we are creating a new paradigm — you bring your capital, expertise and technology, to match with our natural resources and create a win-win situation . The investor gains, Nigeria gains.’’he said.
Nigeria, he stressed, had operated a mono-cultural economy dependent on oil, while solid minerals were exploited informally — with ores taken “from pit to port” without value addition.
Alake said government has now made local processing mandatory, refusing to grant mineral titles to investors without a clear pathway to processing in Nigeria.
He said the policy led to the springing up of processing factories, including the largest lithium processing plant in West Africa commissioned recently in Nasarawa by the Vice President, and informed the formation of the African Minerals Strategy Group.
Alake noted that investor confidence has returned due to macro-economic reforms by President Bola Tinubu that guarantee security of tenure and repatriation of profits.
He charged the committee to discharge its assignment responsibly, saying its work is strategic to achieving the President’s $1 trillion economy target.
To this end, he told the Committee to ensure effective coordination, identify investment opportunities and translate the framework into measurable outcomes capable of positioning Nigeria as a competitive player in the global solid minerals industry.
In his welcome address, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, said the inauguration translates growing bilateral engagements into a structured framework for practical cooperation and investment mobilization
Economic Officer at the US Embassy, Jonathan Baas, said President Donald Trump has prioritized three areas for US embassies — energy, artificial intelligence/super intelligence, and critical minerals.
Baas said Washington’s direction is to work with partners to secure critical supply chains while ensuring partners capture value.
“We just signed a contract today on looking into building AI data centres in Nigeria at the Nigerian Economic Summit. That’s the direction Washington wants us to go,” he said.
In his vote of thanks, CEO/Managing Director of Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, NSMC said that the committee
is expected to coordinate implementation, facilitate investment and monitor progress towards achieving the objectives of the Nigeria–US cooperation framework.
The inauguration reinforces the Federal Government’s commitment to repositioning the solid minerals sector as a key driver of economic diversification, industrial development and national prosperity under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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