Featured

MK Throws A Surprise Birthday For YOK FC Club Owner

Published

7 years ago

December 23, 2019

JOEL AJAYI

What happened on Friday 20^th 2019 between owners of Water FC of Abuja Mokanjuola Nureni aka MK and owner of YOK football club of Abuja and the founding partner, marble partner LP, Barr Yakubu Ohimege Galadima is an confirmation that the game of football is indeed a symbol of unity.

After the two teams battled in a fierce encounter on the pitch, where Water FC defeated YOK FC 4-1 thereafter it was a triumphant entry for a celebrant that was giving a surprise entry when players of the Water FC form a guard of honour like a military to usher him to venue of the birthday celebration courtesy of no other person than Mr. Nureni Mankanjuola.

It was a memorable day for the celebrant, as a surprise birthday party was organized to celebrate one of the lovers of football owner of YOK FC in Abuja as part of gesture to celebrate him for contributing to the growth and development of football.

The surprise dinner party was attended by his friends’ players and associates.

Speaking, the elated celebrant, Barr. Galadima expressed: “I am surprise, because my birthday is today, when I told him that I will be coming to play football, he told me we are coming here after match, I told him I don’t need anything from him, I told him we don’t want to run his budget dry but he insisted. I later agreed this is what I got I want to sincerely thank him for this surprise God will continue to bless him.

“We have aim of conceding 10 goals but glory be to God we are progressing, we are improving. I told the player that it is not about numbers of goal they are going to concede, but let see the skill and learn from each other and indeed we achieved that, Coach can even attests to it we are improving.”

Giving hint on his desire two teams, he said: “the entire player that are here, we don’t only want to see them at National Team but we shall see them dominating the world.

“Our aim at YOK FC is more or less of humanitarian service to see how we can support our young talented and promote them to the world.

“We want to shun crime in Nigeria, we don’t participate in crime; all we want to use our talent to better ourselves.

“Today, if you go to Arab countries, if you say you from Nigeria, they will ask you; did you know Mikel Obi, Kanu and Okocha Jay Jay? We need to develop ourselves; we don’t want to belong to Yahoo-Yahoo boys.”

Speaking on why he organized a surprise package to him, Mr. Makanjuola said: “I think his passion for football have single him out and we need to support him I gave him surprise because of his passion for football.

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