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Kwara state governor declares 6th edition of NYG open

Published

5 years ago

October 16, 2021

Joel AjayiThe Governor of Kwara state AbuulRahman AbdulRazak was on Friday evening declared 2021 edition of National Youth Games open in Ilorin the state capital.

Governor who was represented by the state Deputy Governor Chief Kayode Alabi urged athletes to play by the rules of the game.
He expressed that the state is very much happy to host the athletes across the country.

In his addressed the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, said the the Games has consistently served as an effective platform for talent identification and development for young athletes in the country aged 15 and below to achieve excellence in sports.

Dare who was represented at the opening ceremony by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, stated that this year’s edition of the Games is unique ”as it is intended to produce formidable athletes that will represent Nigeria at the African Youth Games in Ethiopia in 2022 and the next Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.

He noted that, “as a Nation, we will tap into the euphoria and excitements of the NYG to produce the best that will represent and do us proud.

Mr Dare stated further that, the Ministry’s strategic plan to reposition sports at the grassroots level and to facilitate the discovery of budding talents in the country is being realized.

” I am glad to inform you that through the organization of the annual Youth Games , the Ministry is actively achieving its mandate of creating a pool of potential athletes that can continuously represent the country at international Youth competitions”, he said .

While assuring of the quality of athletes for the Games that are capable of doing the country proud anytime, anywhere ; the Minister urged all concerned National Sports Federations to take advantage of these Games to gauge their sports developmental objectives as well as further develop the identified talents to the benefit of the country.

Dare who thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for granting approval for the hosting of the games, assured that the present Administration is not only committed to the development of sports in the country but also in the utilisation of youth potentials to enhance socio-economic growth for the betterment of all Nigerians.
In his own remarks, the Permanent Secretary , Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar thanked all the participating state governments for their support.

He called on them to invest more in grassroots sports development.
However, thirty -five states including the FCT, Abuja are featuring in this year’s National Youth Games.

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

Published

18 hours 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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