Featured

Guard Your Utterances, FCT Minister Of State Charges Kogites

Published

7 years ago

September 8, 2019

Joel Ajayi

As Kogi State governorship election draws near, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has charged political gladiators in the major political parties to guard against their utterances for a violent free election.

Aliyu who gave the charge in Abuja when members of Kogi State House of Assembly paid her a courtesy visit also acknowledged the fact that it is not yet Uhuru until after the governorship elections when the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) shall sing a song of victory.

She, therefore, charged elected lawmakers in the state to go back home and win the trust of the people ahead of the governorship election, assuring that most of the legislators have already delivered their constituency.

Aliyu affirmed that the era of divide and rule in Kogi State is over, noting that the ruling party is ready to work for the continuity of Governor Yahaya Bello, as one big and united family.

“We came out successful during our primaries, but it is not yet Uhuru until after elections when we shall jointly sing songs of praise. The era of divide and rule in Kogi State is over because we are now one big family. We should unit together and make Kogi a hub of industries and tourist attractions.

“The governor should go and sleep and trust us. For me, Kogi State in the near future will not be a poor state because of the tourism potentials God has given us. But we cannot do it alone, we have to partner relevant bodies and other arms of government. I will serve as your massager at the federal level to make our voice known to Mr. President.

“Kogi has come to stay because we are now one family ready to work for the continuity of our governor. Legislators should go back home and talk to their people for them to win their trust. By doing that, the election will be over. I know most of you have already delivered your constituency.

“But more importantly, guard your utterances towards the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi State. Prove to Nigerians that Kogi governorship election is the most violent free, just as we witnessed during the primaries. There will be no snatching of ballot boxes to prove a point to the oppositions. I appeal to you to remain calm,” she said

On his part, the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Matthew Kolawale, observed that the state ought to have developed more than Lagos as the oldest capital city of Nigeria, just as he regretted that leadership failure has been a major drawback of the state.

He, however, expressed confidence that with the appointment of FCT Minister of State from Kogi, she will change the narratives, just as he appealed to Federal Government to cite a seaport in Kogi State to service the nation’s capital.

According to him, “for us, we are happy for this appointment and we identify with you as our illustrious daughter. I am happy to hear from you that you are from Kogi State and does not belong to any tribe.

“You can use your position to facilitate many things to the state because the FCT is already choked. If there is any seaport that will service the FCT, it should be cited in Kogi State. We want to assure you that with the composition of Kogi State House of Assembly, the election is over”.

Share on Facebook

Featured

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

Published

4 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.

Share on Facebook