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Akpata Sets Regional Recruitment Targets for Cricket Development Officers

Published

5 years ago

October 4, 2021

The newly-elected President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata, has set a target of recruiting 250, 000 youths nationally into the game, as one of the core pursuits of his team during his term as President.

In a statement made in Abuja, shortly after the inaugural meeting of the board, he said, his team is set to build on the existing structure of the former board (which he served as Vice-President), where 16 Regional Development Officers were recruited to lead training and development across the country.

According to him, “We have 16 field officers that we recruited across the country, during the last board, so what we would do is to quickly get 20 others, so that other states and the Federal Capital territory have those development officers as well. With that structure, each state and zones have targets in terms of number of players they should reach each year. This forms the bedrock of the 250, 000 (yearly recruitment), we are aiming at.”

He also said that the Federation would invest in high impact centers in each state where the Federation would encourage the schools to converge and have their students take a deeper dive and exposure to the game.

To demonstrate the urgency of the task, the board dispatched four training kits to Kebbi, Kwara, Plateau and Gombe states through the secretariat in Abuja on Friday October 1st.

The Nigeria Cricket Federation was recognized twice as for its development effort by the game’s ruling body International Cricket Council, ICC, and the continental body, ICC-Africa, in recent years.

Akpata says this structure would form the basis for the different age-grade championships starting from the Under 15 and Under 17, which eventually will produce players for the national Under 19 teams.

He added that, “We are going to encourage the zones to have secondary school tournaments. What you are going to see is zonal representatives; my colleagues on the board, devoting almost eighty percent of their time working on really developing the zones.” He added.

He further informed that what his team is setting up is a system that will translate to a more predictable outcome for different national teams. He added that with the ongoing upgrade of playing surfaces to grass wickets, the players can be better prepared for international events from home.

In conclusion, he said that the Federation would be meeting with all stakeholders under a month of the board’s election, to present their plans, listen to recommendation and canvass their partnership to steer the Federation an enviable position.

“We are hopeful for a very fruitful and engaging four years ahead and we would be glad to have all hand on deck with us in achieving this.”. He concluded.

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Alake Inaugurates Nigeria-US Solid Minerals Committee, Dismisses $700bn Claim, Says No Assets Sold

Published

2 days ago

October 28, 2026

The Gleamer

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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