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2020 Tokyo Olympic: NOC Strategies Better Outing For Team Nigeria.

Published

7 years ago

December 11, 2019

The Gleamer

…as NOC Patron’s Forum meet in Abuja

..Set Up 4-man Committee to mediate AFN crisis

Joel Ajayi

In a bid to ensure a successful outing at the forthcoming Olympic event in Tokyo and other world championship, the Nigeria Olympic Committee NOC has appealed to corporate entities to rally round the NOC by giving good support for team Nigeria especially at the forthcoming 2020 Olympic in Tokyo, Japan.

President of NOC Engr. Habu Gumel make the appeal at the first Patron’s Forum of Nigeria Olympic Committee an exco members of NOC held in Abuja on Wednesday as part of preparation for Tokyo 2020 in Japan.

He expressed that, there is need for all-round support for Nigerian teams by corporate bodies through their contributions.

According to him this first Patrons Forum which we are having today has been in the works for quite some time now. We had actually hoped that it would have come earlier than now, but nevertheless, it is better to be late than never.

“We are committed to making good our promise to put together a Forum where we can meet and interact with our distinguished Patrons with a view to sharing ideas and to better understand ourselves. This first Forum is therefore a step in that direction.

“Bearing in mind your very busy schedules, I want to sincerely thank your Royal Majesty, your Excellencies and my Distinguished Patrons for making out time to be here with us today.

“One of the objectives of this Forum is to further highlight our roles expectations as Patrons of the Olympic and Commonwealth Movement. I am very optimistic that we will all leave this Forum with a better understanding of our common objectives. We will need your fatherly advice and guidance at all times.

“This being our first Forum, the Agenda may not be exhaustive but it must have opened for us the needed window of communication, to rub minds on our goals and expectations in service of humanity. We will ensure that the Patrons Forum happens as often as you all agree within yourselves.”

On his own, while giving the task to the patrons ahead of the different world Games NOC Secretary General Mr. Banji Oladapo said that the NOC is expecting the Patron’s to playadvisory role towards success of the games ahead of Nigeria.

“Also, They are to raise bar in terms of image of the organization and thereby open doors of opportunities as well as to raise financier and generate fund for traning of the athletes.”

Speaking also, the PRO of the NOC has revealed that NOC have waded in into the AFN crisis by setting up a 4 man committee to mediate factions.

According to him, the NOC board meet on Wednesday morning on the crisis rocking AFN where a four man committee has been set up to mediate and give report as soon as possible.

“The committee includes; Francis Obih as Chairman, Teakwonko President Elizabeth Binga; Dr Toyin Aluko and Emma Onweri.

The meeting of Patron’s forum and NOC executive is expected to come to an end on Thursday where the outcome of the meeting will be made known to the public.

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

Published

5 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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