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NPFL Match Day One Wrap: Kwara United Records win, Kano Pillars Struggles As Four Others Pick Up Maximum Points

Published

6 years ago

December 28, 2020

The Gleamer

Adamawa Utd Kano Pillars

14′ Rabiu Ali (KAN)

76’ Isa Garba (Adamawa)

Isa Garba of Adamawa United in the 76th cancelled the Rabiu Ali opener to share the spoils with the visitors.

Kano Pillars will be playing host to Katsina United in their next league game while Adamawa United will travel to Akure to face Sunshine Stars.

Nasarawa Utd Wikki Tourist

5’ Promise Damala (WIK)

7’ Reuben Nicodemus (NAS)

52’ Reuben Nicodemus (NAS)

Coach Bala Nkiyu led side came from behind to lord the game with Reuben Nicodemus grabbing a brace in the 7th and 52nd minutes to cancel the visitor’s earlier secured lead from Promise Damala in the 5th minutes of the game.

The Lafia fans were treated to a gratifying start into the season even as the game was played behind the doors.

Plateau Utd Kwara Utd

62’ Jide Fatokun
69’ Michael Ohanu

Kwara United were the biggest winner of the day as they defeated Plateau United away from home 2 goals to nothing.

Jide Fatokun and Micheal Ohanu recorded their goals in 62nd and 69th minutes of the game to secure an impressive start for the Harmony boys while compounding the woes of the home team who had recently lost out in CAF Champions league.

The Coach Abdullahi Biffo led side will be involving in another cracker with Enyimba FC in their second game of the season as they currently lead the log.

Jigawa GS Sunshine Stars

76’ Onukwube S. Stone

One could assumed that Sunshine Stars FC of Akure with the defeat to Jigawa Golden Stars paid the price of their haphazard preparation.

Reports has it that Coach Ogunbote side had faced a lot of challenges into the season with issues ranging from players allowances and officials. The situation has beclouded their readiness for the new season and perhaps their host had seen the handwriting on the wall.

FC IfeanyiUbah 1️0 Lobi Stars

48’ Nnoso Nzediegwu

Lobi Stars FC fell in Nnewi as they couldn’t muster a response to Nnoso Nnzediegwu strike in the 48th.

Lobi Stars will host MFM FC in the next game at Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi.

MGM Wolves

7’ Ebenezer Odeyemi (MFM)

23’ Muyiwa Balogun (MFM)

27’ John paul Chinedu (WAR)

Ebenezer Odeyemi opened the scoreline for MFM FC with his strike in the 7th minutes of the game. He would later inspire the team to their first win of the season at home as they defeated their visitors, Warri Wolves 2 goals to 1.

Other matches that couldn’t held due to logistics issues have now been billed to hold during the week.

While Katsina United will be slugging it out with Heartland FC tomorrow, Monday 28th of December, a local derby will also be taking centre stage between Akwa United and Dakkada FC in Uyo with game.

And as Enyimba and Abia Warriors match now fixed for Tuesday 29th, Rivers United and Rangers International will end the match day 1 of the new NPFL season with their encounter billed for Wednesday, 30th of December.

Now that the Covid-19 pandemic has occassioned a closed door encounter across all match venues, NPFL enthusiasts will have the opportunity to savour the new season as matches involving Akwa United vs Dakkada FC and Enyimba vs Abia Warriors will be enjoying a live coverage from Nigeria Televison Authority (NTA) and NPFLTv.

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

Published

2 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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