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Chief of Defence Staff Urges Nigerian to conduct themselves for Peaceful 2023 Elections
Joel Ajayi
The Chief of Defence Staff, CDS General Lucky Irabor called on all Nigerians to conduct themselves during the forthcoming General election that will give birth to the peaceful electioneering in the country.
He assured that, Nigerians will leave no stone unturned to ensure of a peaceful electioneering come 2023.
Irabor who gave this assurance while addressing the media in a press briefing at the Defence Headquarters on Thursday in Abuja, he warned that the armed forces will not take any form of violence from perpetrators who might want to disrupt the peace of the country all in the name of looking for political appointments.
According to him, going forward Nigeria must be peaceful, so that all Nigerians will have a country to be proud of.
‘’The military will ensure that the country has a peaceful electioneering period, so that every one of us will have a country we can be proud of.
‘’For everyone that is looking forward to political appointments, we will not stand aside and look at those that will perpetrate violence all because they are looking for political offices. Going forward Nigeria must be peaceful,’’ he said.
Speaking on the recent Owo attack, the CDS noted that it is very important that the criminals behind the menace are brought to book, saying that the military are on top of the issue.
Also, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Benard Onyeuko while briefing media on the achievements of the military in their various operations across the country explained that the Joint Task Force of Operation DELTA SAFE has been relentless in their kinetic operation which are geared towards eradicating illegal oil activities in their Joint Operational area.
He said in other to achieve its operational mandate Operation OCTOPUS GRIP a subsidiary operation under DELTA SAFE in the last 7 weeks of it operations (April 20) discovered and destroyed 337 illegal oil refineries, 1,052 metal storage tanks, 515 ovens, 68 wooden boats, it also confiscated 59 vehicles, 16 outboard engines, 11 rifles and arrested 141 criminals.
‘’ During the period in focus troops of DELTAL SAFE in the conduct of Operation OCTOPUS GRIP conducted operations in creeks, towns and communities; these include Jesse in Ethiope Local Government Area, Otagbo Creek, Escravos River and Benett Island in Delta State. Also, Brass creek, Beneside and Ndoro Waterways Ekeremor all in Bayelsa State.
‘’In addition, troops conducted operations at Opumaki, Cawthrone Channel all in Bonny Local Government Area of River States.16. Within the last week 9 – 14 June 2022, a total of 26 illegal refining sites, 35 wooden boats, 74 storage tanks, 79 ovens, 28 dug out pits, 3 speed boats, 2 outboard engines, 20 pumping machines, 2 rifles, Two Million Two Hundred and Sixty Four Thousand (2,264,000) litres of stolen crude oil, One Million One Hundred and Forty Two Thousand (1,142,000) litres of AGO and 10 oil thieves were arrested by own troops.
‘’Accordingly, all the arrested criminals and recovered items have been handed over to the appropriate authorities for further action.Finally, the military high command commends the efforts of the troops in the various theatres, they are also encourages them to sustain the operational tempo in their respective area of responsibilities to ensure that normalcy returns to the affected zones of the country.
‘’Furthermore, the entire populace is hereby appreciated for the support given to the Armed Forces and security agencies in the conduct of their operations. The media community is also acknowledged for their partnership and cooperation with the military and other security agencies in our quest to return peace to our dear country.
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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