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Buhari To Declare Open 2020 NSF In Edo

Published

7 years ago

March 16, 2020

…Government will not stop NSF-Health Minister

Joel Ajayi

The 2020 edition of National Sports Festival NSF slated for 22nd March to 1st April in Edo State Capital South-South Nigeria would be declared open by the President Muhammadu Buhari.

Amongst other dignitaries include, National Assembly, State Governors, Commissioners of Sports, State Directors of Sports, President NOC, Sports Veterans are all lovers of sports.

To this end, the Federal Government has restated its affirmative actions towards containment and preventive measures against the spread of COVID-19; and resolved to host the Sports Festival tagged ‘ EDO 2020’ slated for 22nd March – 1st April 2020.

Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health, made this declaration during a Press Briefing in Abuja. Reinforcing the position of the Federal Government towards the hosting of the Unity Games in the present circumstance, the Minister categorically said ”As far as the Sports Festival is concerned, we shall recommend to the Organizers to screen everybody both participating and all the spectators, because at the moment we don’t see very strong threat internally.

Expatiating on this medical advice, Dr. Ehanire stated that ” we are not recommending a ban on everything unless the situation changes. Nevertheless, the precaution of making sure that everyone is screened is our focus. Those who are looking in any way suspicious will be disallowed entry straight away so that they don’t pose any kind of risk to others until their symptoms are clear. If the Organizers do that, I think there is no good reason not to hold the festival.

Continuing, the Minister of Health argued persuasively and stated that ” Every country takes measures that are consistent with its own situation. There are countries where the virus is spreading widely and they have been forced to cancel various activities whether it is business, trade fair, etc. We are not in that category, and we thank God.

As it is now, we have seen a couple of cases which we have been able to contain. If you don’t have very pressing reasons, you don’t have to start banning everything”

Recall that most recently, Dr. Osagie Ehanire declared during his widely transmitted update on television that the two suspected index cases have tested negative.

Corroborating the above submissions by the Health Minister on preventive and proactive measures, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare admonished all athletes and participating officials to abide with his advisory on the usage of Hand Sanitizers throughout the duration of the Sports Festival, as part of a wider safety steps/measures by the Main Organizing Committee on ”Edo 2020”; towards ensuring a secure, virus-free and successful games.

Furthermore, it is pertinent to state that Mr. Dare during his three states visit Asaba in Delta State en route Awka in Anambra, and finally to Benin City, Edo State; he met with the Local Organizing Committee ( LOC) to review the medical preparations for Edo 2020 Games, especially to review plans for the containment of any suspected case and possible spread of the virus. The Deputy Governor of Edo state was around to assist the Ministry as partners in a mission of actualizing national unity, stability and economic prosperity for our youths through the instrumentality of sports.

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

Published

3 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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