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Paris 2024: Olympic Eagles beat Tanzania 2-0, reach final round of qualifiers

Published

4 years ago

October 29, 2022

Nigeria reached the final round of the 2023 Africa U23 Cup of Nations on Saturday after Timilehin Ogunniyi and Success Makanjuola scored in the second leg at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan to condemn visitors Tanzania to a two-goal defeat and 1-3 loss on aggregate.

Some hours before the game, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Chairman of the NFF Task Force on Youth Competitions, Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi had buoyed the spirit of the team with redemptions of cash promises and further promises of windfall should they put the Junior Taifa Stars to the sword. It was therefore no surprise when the Olympic Eagles started like a house on fire.

Success Makanjuola, Akanni Qudus, Timilehin Ogunniyi, Sunusi Ibrahim and the attack-minded defender Dominion Ohaka hassled and harassed the visitors’ rearguard to no end, but without finding the early breakthrough they so much desired.

However, Tanzania played a compact and economic game, and could have gone ahead as early as the 12^th minute when Mundhir Abadalla unleashed from the edge of the box as Daniel Wotlai mis-judged ball in flight. Nigeria’s first choice Nathaniel Nwosu was up to the task.

Three minutes later, Ohaka’s shot was too high from 20 yards, and Ogunniyi’s efforts screamed way off mark in the 18^th minute as Nigeria applied pressure.

Nwosu again came up big in the 28^th minute to thwart Muhajiri Jaribi who let fly from just outside the left side of the box. But Nigeria was not daunted and continued to impress in the presence of Governor Makinde and top officials of the Oyo State Government, Sports Minister Sunday Dare and NFF Board Members.

In the second period, Sunusi Ibrahim side-netted from a scissors kick and Ohaka’s thrust went away as Nigeria kept their feet on the pedal, but they could have been shocked in the 52^nd minute when a defensive error allowed Edmund Godreu John sight of goal only for him to pull the ball too high.

Nigeria continued to knock on the door and it finally opened in the 62^nd minute, when Ogunniyi slammed into the net from a free-kick 23 yards out.

Eight minutes later, the Olympic Eagles were two goals up when the irrepressible Ogunniyi was hacked in the box, and Makanjuola found the penalty from the spot.

At the end, Sports Minister Sunday Dare praised the team for a job well done, but charged them to develop the mentality to convert most of the opportunities they create during play.

“I congratulate you for a job well-done and I am happy that you have reached the final round of the qualifiers for the U23 AFCON. But I am challenging you to learn to convert most of your chances in open play. You only need to work hard and stay focused.”

Governor Makinde, Alhaji Balele and Hon. Bukola Olopade all fulfilled their pre-match pledges of $25,000, $20,000 and $5,000 respectively.

The Olympic Eagles will play the winner of the fixture between Uganda and Guinea in the final round of the qualifiers in March 2023.

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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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