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FCT FA League: 9-Man WACO FA beat FC Liberty 3-1

Published

7 years ago

January 25, 2020

… As Da-Priest Prolific Force 9-Man Golden Boys To 2-2 Draw

WACO Football Academy of Garki, Abuja are the first team in the second round of the 2019/20 FCT FA League to win their first two matches.

Waco Football Academy started the tie against FC Liberty like a house on fire, John Silas and Enoch Taminu rushed their opponent with two goals in 16 minutes into the encounter.

Eight minutes later, Danbaba Akuso added the third goal to secure the much needed points and maintain their second round 100 percent run of form.

However, Laba Johnson scored a consolation goal for FC Liberty before Danbaba Akuso and Odama Ebriku were sent off for unruly behaviour.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, WACO Football Academy added the fourth when John Silas found the back of the net with a cool shot from the 20 yards to complete his brace in the 75th minute.

Meanwhile, the second match ended in a dramatic fashion as Da-Priest Prolific came back from a 2-0 down to pull a 2-2 draw after two Golden Boys’ players have been sent off.

Coming into the game, either side needed the available three points, having lost their first respective first group match. So, one can easily understand why the players put so much energy through out tyre duration to achieve their wins.

Emmanuel Joseph’s brace in the 14th and 47th minutes was not enough for Golden Boys to get their first second round win. Da-Priest Prolific FC gathered momentum after Golden Boys’ keeper, Oyetunde Joe was given a marching order eight minutes into the second half.

Sixteen minutes after the controversial red card incident, Innocent Uduk restored hope in his team mate as he pulled one back to reduce the tally. However, Jeremiah Kufu also saw red three minutes to the end of the encounter to reduce Golden Boys to nine after Abiem Nelson scored the much-needed second goal in the 82nd minute.

In group A, WACO FA are topping the table with 6 points, FC Liberty are second with 3 points while Da-Priest Prolific FA and Golden Boys are third and 4th on the log respectively.

Meanwhile, the match day 6 resume on Monday as WACO Boys trade tackle with Basic Maracana Academy at 10:00 am while Abees Academy entertain Fire Service FC in their group B second match at the Area 3, Sports Complex.

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

Published

5 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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