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Insecurity: Makinde pledges more support for security agencies
Joel Ajayi
The Oyo State Governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, on Monday pledged his administration’s continue support to security agencies in their fight against insecurity in the state and Nigeria in general.
Makinde made the pledge on Monday, while receiving AVM Charles Ohwo, the Air Officer Commanding, Logistics Command, Ikeja, Lagos, in his office, at the State Secretariat, Ibadan.
The governor said the country had been going through a difficult period and that the current set of leaders of in the country had been quite challenged.
He said that the names of members of the Armed Forces would be written in gold for their efforts in stemming the tide of insecurity at this point in the nation’s history.
The governor also lauded the Nigerian Air Force for its unalloyed cooperation in keeping the state safe, noting that his administration had been enjoying a cordial relationship with the Air Force.
He reiterated his commitment to upgrade the Ibadan Airport, saying that plans were in top gear to extend the runway from the current 2.7 kilometres to 3.3 kilometres to enable bigger aircrafts to land.
Makinde said that his administration would continue to expand the footprints of the Nigerian Air Force in the state.
“We are excited that we are expanding the footprint of the Nigerian Air Force here with the planned Air Force Base which we have donated land for.
“Whenever the Chief of Air Staff is ready, we are ready to do the groundbreaking.
“All the roads leading to the Airport have been awarded and we are just waiting for the contractors to mobilise to sites,” the governor stated.
Earlier, Ohwo who led other Air Force officers on the courtesy visit, assured the governor that the Air Force would be willing and ready to contribute its quota to ensure that South-West, specifically Oyo State, is safe.
He appreciated the governor for supporting Air Force, in the donations of a piece of land for the Air Force Base, new school building, transformer and other equipment.
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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