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NYSC Charges Corps Members On Effective Leadership

Published

6 years ago

April 24, 2021

Joel Ajayi

The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim has charged Corps Members to become leaders with a difference.

He threw the challenge when he paid an unscheduled visit to Villa Nova Estate, Apo-Dutse, in Abuja, venue of a two-day leadership training organized for Corps Members by Lux Terra Network Advocacy group.

Addressing the Corps Members who took part in the training, which was the third batch in a series, Brigadier General Ibrahim said ineffective leadership is the bane of any society, and urged the participants to take home, lessons learned and utilize same maximally for the benefit of the nation.

He noted that the next crop of leaders could emerge from amongst them, and therefore called on them to propagate the tenets of national unity and integration, which he said are the two major strings that have held Nigeria firmly since the amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates in 1914.

“You too have been destined to become leaders in different capacities. So, I implore you to become responsible citizens that can be trusted leaders,” he added.

He commended the organizers of the training for a job well done, and urged them to come up with a proposal on how to expand the programme to include all Corps Members serving in every nook and cranny of the country for greater impact.

Earlier, Mrs. Inya Ode while welcoming the NYSC helmsman stated the quest for a better Nigeria and the desire to promote citizenship, conflict prevention and nation building was why the Network and Advocacy Group of Lux Terra Leadership Foundation with the support from OSIWA, came up with the training.

She further said that the training revolved around Citizens Rights and Civic Responsibility, Understanding, Preventing and Managing Conflict, Promoting Social Justice and Managing Diversity.

A cross section of the Corps Members expressed excitement over the training, and pledged to make the best use of the knowledge acquired in contributing to nation building during and after their service year.

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

Published

6 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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