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Corps Member Donates Toilet Facility To Army Day Secondary School

Published

5 years ago

October 7, 2021

Joel Ajayi

As a measure to put a lasting solution to the felt needs of her host community, corps member Iniobong Emmanuel Dorcas (OY/20B/0993) as part of her personal Community Development Service recently donated a twin toilet facility to Army Day Secondary School, Iwo Road, Ibadan.

Commissioning the project, the NYSC Oyo State Coordinator, Mrs Grace Ogbuogebe, represented by the Assistant Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Mrs Mariam Umogah praised the corps member for availing herself as an instrument for establishing the core values of the NYSC and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals which is to positively impact and enhance the lives of persons in their host community.

She further enjoined the beneficiaries especially the students to emulate the kind gesture of the project initiator whenever they get to such a phase of their lives.

In his goodwill message, the Chairman Ibadan North East Local Government, Honourable Ibrahim Akintayo who contributed immensely towards the execution of the project, commended the corps member for her doggedness and passion in her service to the fatherland. Stating that if every corps member determines to execute a project that will impact their host community positively, the entire country will be a better place.

Also in their separate address, the Assistant Director and Zonal Inspector Ibadan North LG, Mr Olumide Adekeye with the Local Government Inspector Ibadan North East Mr Daniel Akinsola commended the project initiator while encouraging other corps members to embark on projects that will ensure the development of their host communities, thereby leaving a legacy during their service year.

In her appreciation, the principal of Army Day Secondary School, Mrs M. Umeike lauded the corps member on the execution of the project, stating that the students will make adequate use of the facility which would ensure a cleaner learning environment. She equally applauded the NYSC scheme and remarked that its relevance cannot be overemphasized.

Present at the event were other sponsors of the project which include: Managing Director Microfinance bank, Orita-Basorun, Mr Idowu, Special Assistant Students Affairs, (IBNE) Hon. Victor Olojede and a host of others.

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

Published

1 day 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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