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Minister of Youth and Sports Lauds Corps Members on Achievements

Published

7 years ago

September 7, 2019

…Promises better welfare, health insurance packages

Joel Ajayi

The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, has applauded the batch ‘B’ Stream II Corp Members, currently serving in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), for their numerous achievements in their academics.

He assured that the Federal Government will not hesitate to facilitate adequate health insurance scheme and as well ensure the welfare of corp members nationwide.

Dare gave this indication when he officially paid a working visit/facility tour to the 2019 Batch ‘B’ Stream II Corp members at the Permanent Orientation Camp, Kubwa, FCT, Abuja on Friday, 6th September, 2019.

The Minister, who noted that he was among the first batch that opened the FCT camp twenty eight years ago, congratulated each corp member for the opportunity to serve Nigeria for the one year compulsory period.

According to him it’s because you passed your exams, that qualifies you to be invited to the camp.

“I need to challenge you that beyond the walls of this camp, are walls of opportunities, also there are walls of challenges, a wall that is kind and compassionate. But at other times can be very brutal, the things you have learnt at the university, secondary school and the primary school, you have to summon all of that skills to be able to survive outside this camp’’

While appreciating officials of the camp that have been looking after the welfare of the Corp Members, the Minister affirmed that Youths belong to the very virile segment of the nation’s population, adding that over 65 million are Youth, which is the engine room of our population.

He prayed that the corp members find doors of opportunities as they conclude their one year mandatory training even as he advised them to make and keep good friendship from the NYSC orientation camp.

Earlier, the State Coordinator, NYSC FCT, Hajiya Walida Isa, during her welcome address stated that the camp was officially opened by the Honourable Minister of FCT Mohammed Bello on the 22nd August 2019, stressing that a total number of 1, 804 Corp Members with 889 males and 915 females are currently participating in various camp activities and are set to exemplify high sense of commitment; due diligence and loyalty to the nation as they pass out.

Hajiya Isa thanked the Honourable Minister for his interest in the NYSC projects as she also restated the willingness of the camp officials to give these young Nigerians the right orientation needed to build the nation.

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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.

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