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DG tasks NYSC Officials on Creativity, Mentorship

Published

4 years ago

September 14, 2022

By Joel Ajayi

NYSC Officials have been urged to be creative, avoid all forms of malpractice and demonstrate the highest degree of responsibility in the discharge of their duties.

The Director General of NYSC, Brigadier General Muhammad Kaku Fadah stated this on Wednesday in his address at the opening ceremony of the Corps Welfare and Health Services Schedule Officers’ Workshop held in Abuja.

Participants for the workshop were drawn from the thirty-six State Secretariats, Area Offices and the FCT.

Speaking on the theme; “Capacity Building to Enhance Security and General Welfare of Corps Members”, Fadah said the workshop is aimed at equipping participants with techniques for effective handling of Corps Health, General safety and other welfare matters.

He stated further that it would enhance their ability to surmount emerging challenges in Corps administration.
He said the workshop also underscores the commitment of management to the implementation of one of the focal points of his administration’s policy thrust on the improvement of the security and general welfare of Corps Members.

“While assuring you of Management’s support for the successful discharge of your duties, l urge you to always be creative, shun all forms of malpractice and demonstrate the highest degree of responsibility as you are expected to serve as role models for the Corps Members, and show empathy to them, especially when they are in need of care.

While acknowledging our ability to keep pace with the current trends in Corps discipline and reward, we must not not lose sight of the fact that all our actions are subjected to public scrutiny “, the DG said.

He implored the Schedule officers to use the workshop to gain more knowledge on the processes and procedures for handling disciplinary cases as well as reward through Honours Award at the Local Government, State and National levels.

The Director General enjoined the officers to brace up for the tasks ahead adding that, “I wish to remind you to redouble your efforts in our bid to take the Scheme to more enviable heights as the nation will witness the Golden Jubilee of the Scheme, the general elections and the conduct of the National Population and Housing Census.
The Independent National Electoral Commission and the National Population Commission are expected to enlist Corps Members as adhoc personnel for these programmes.

I must stress that we cannot afford to record any failure at the same time Nigerians are expected to roll out the drums in celebration of our five decades of unequalled contributions to nation building.

It will be a moment when your guidance, coordination and supervisory capabilities as field officers will be put to test”, Fadah added.

The Director, Corps Welfare and Health Services Department, Alhaji Ladan Baba in his remark said the department considered it necessary to develop the capacities of the Schedule Officers with a view to improving the quality of documentation , handling and presentation of cases concerning Corps Members’ safety, wellbeing and entitlements.

He added that the Schedule Officers would be adequately equipped with the necessary skills in meeting emerging challenges and also engineer self confidence in performing their duties.

In their separate goodwill messages, the Managing Director/CEO of Capital Express Assurance Ltd, Bola Odukale and Misari Ibiam, Deputy General Manager, Formal Sector from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) urged for sustained partnership with the NYSC for the benefit of all Corps Members.

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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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