FG ready to assist mining investors, says Alake.

FG ready to assist mining investors, says Alake.

In Pic: Hon. Minster of Solid Mineral Development, Mr. Dele Alake.

The federal government has assured foreign investors of safety if they decide to invest in the mining sector.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake gave the assurance at the closing of the 21st Africa Down Under conference in Perth, Australia.

He informed them that the government has given illegal miners 30 days to join co-operatives in addition to plans to deploy a surveillance taskforce and mine police to combat criminals at the mines.

Deputy Director Information, Ministry of Solid Minerals Alaba Balogun said this on Thursday, September 14, in a press statement.

He stated: “Nigeria’s mining roadmap was investors’ toast as curtains drew over the 21st Africa Down Under conference in Perth, Australia.

“Ecstatic investors besieged the exhibition booth of the Ministry of Solid Minerals at the Pan Pacific Hotel venue of the event following the announcement of an enticing package of incentives unveiled by the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr. Dele Alake at the fourth session.

“Presenting a robust case for investment in the country’s mining industry, Alake had highlighted plans to set up the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation as the interface between the global mining industry and Nigeria adding that the laws permit investors to take profits out.

“He said a major plan to show the government’s readiness to assist investors is the massive investment into a geoscientific investigation of the country’s minerals, their grade, and quantum to enable investors to project with greater certainty the costs of their investments and the profits they can make.

“Following the prospect of the extensive occurrence of lithium in Nigeria, the battery minerals making waves in the automobile industries, Alake said the progress made by investors such as Basin Limited in their Jupiter project, mining lithium in the North and Lithium King investments in the South West confirm reports of Nigeria as the most profitable destination for the precious mineral.

Alake further stated: “The minister assured investors of safety, reiterating that the government has given illegal miners 30 days to join co-operatives in addition to plans to deploy surveillance task force and mine police to combat criminals at the mines.

“Nigeria is open for business and with our ongoing reforms in the solid minerals sector, I can assure every investor that comes to our country of a conducive operating environment and good returns on their investments.

Backing Alake’s claim in their presentations on the Jupiter project, Dr Stevens Davies and partner Hugh Morgan of Basin Limited disclosed that lithium deposits in several parts of Nigeria occur close to the surface requiring mainly quarrying for excavation.

He said: “They said their company is working on a nickel project that has shown good prospects in Nigeria.”

President Tinubu Promises To Reconstruct ELEME Axis Of East-West Road; Thanks Rivers State For Stalwart Support Given To His Administration.

President Tinubu Promises To Reconstruct ELEME Axis Of East-West Road; Thanks Rivers State For Stalwart Support Given To His Administration.

Blessed with enormous human capacity and natural resource wealth, President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja, said that neither Rivers State or Nigeria has any business being associated with poverty, insecurity or under-development, assuring that under his leadership, the narrative will be permanently and positively changed.

Welcoming a high-powered 62-man delegation, comprising of leaders from both the governing All Progressives' Congress (APC) and the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), to the State House, the President said the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has left big shoes to fill for the new Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and that as one of his most trusted allies, Rivers State will always have direct access to him in their joint march toward sustainable development.

"We are not meant to be in a position to be poor. We will turn the tide! Somewhere, somehow in this storm, there’s a quiet and peaceful place for us. We will locate it!

 

“We are not lazy people. We are richly endowed. We just need to be our brother’s keeper, and good neighbours to one another. I am not a President that will give excuses. I will work hard for our nation with purpose, determination and dedication to create wealth for all Nigerians. We have no reason to be poor! We will not look back, we will run aggressively forward.

“Today, we may be swimming against the tide. But the waves will soon propel us forward from behind. We will achieve the goals and dreams of our forefathers. I am inspired by the nation of people I now lead," the President thundered.

President Tinubu noted that concerning infrastructure development in Rivers State, he had heard the cries of prominent Rivers sons, with particular reference to the Eleme Junction-Onne axis of the East-West Road, linking the Port Harcourt Refinery. On this, the President said the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is a strong adviser, and would follow up on the issue for prompt action.

“The Honourable Minister, Wike, is not just the Minister of FCT, he is also my adviser and an admirer of mine. He has hit the ground running and he should be encouraged by the State," the President affirmed.

Advising the younger generation to be more patient with the processes of government, the President said, “I am the Captain and Chief Salesman of the country. We have to reverse the trend and achieve possibilities within a short period of time. Our people have high expectations for us. I pledge to work hard, and I pray to God to put me on the right path, not to disappoint Nigerians," the President concluded.

In his remarks, the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, told the President that the delegation, which included leaders of political parties, and past and present members of the State and National Assemblies across parties, was on a solidarity and thank you visit.

"The people of Rivers State voted for you in the last general elections based on their belief in fairness, equity and justice. This is the first time that Rivers State is truly feeling the impact of the federal government since the inception of democracy in 1999," he said.

The Governor noted that the delegation greatly appreciated the President for appointing capable sons and daughters of the state into highly strategic positions within his administration.

The Governor particularly thanked the President for the appointments of the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike; Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity & Official Spokesperson of the President, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, as well as other sons and daughters of Rivers State into the Boards and Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other institutions.

The Governor applauded the President for attracting a $14 billion dollars investment approval for projects nationwide during the G-20 Summit, including the expansion of Indorama Petrochemicals in Eleme, Rivers State, adding that the State had just allocated 209 hectares of land in support of the new investment.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

September 14, 2023

EKSU Disavows Damaging Report on Ekiti First Lady, Highlights Her Contributions to Education.

EKSU Disavows Damaging Report on Ekiti First Lady, Highlights Her Contributions to Education.

In a recent press release, the Management of Ekiti State University, Ado - Ekiti (EKSU), has strongly disassociated itself from a disparaging report circulating on social media platforms concerning the activities of Ekiti State's First Lady, Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs.) Olayemi Oyebanji.

The report in question, attributed to an individual claiming to be an EKSU graduate, criticized the First Lady's decision to provide services, particularly in advocacy and education, at the Afe Babalola University, Ado - Ekiti (ABUAD). The report alleged that children of well-off individuals were attending ABUAD while insinuating that the First Lady was neglecting the educational needs of the masses who voted for her husband.

Her Excellency, Dr. (Mrs.) Olayemi Oyebanji, Ekiti State's First Lady.

However, the Management of EKSU was quick to clarify that Dr. (Mrs.) Olayemi Oyebanji has not violated any regulations by choosing to offer her professional services wherever she deems fit, with the intention of imparting knowledge and contributing to her community's betterment.

The university also highlighted the First Lady's continued support for EKSU since her husband, His Excellency, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, assumed the governorship of Ekiti State. Dr. (Mrs.) Oyebanji has actively engaged with the university community by supporting events like the Medical Students' week and candidates of the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group. She has also attended various faculty conferences and inaugural lectures.

Remarkably, Dr. (Mrs.) Oyebanji has expressed her commitment to education by volunteering to teach at EKSU's Department of Educational Management. As a result, a 300-level course has been assigned to her, commencing from the first semester of the 2022/2023 academic session.

EKSU's Vice Chancellor, Prof. Edward Olanipekun, publicly acknowledged the First Lady's dedication to education during one of the inaugural lectures she attended.

The Management of Ekiti State University expressed its complete disassociation from the damaging report and its author. It emphasized the importance of understanding the purpose of community service and acknowledged Dr. (Mrs.) Olayemi Oyebanji's unwavering commitment to education and community development.

President Tinubu appoints Zacch Adedeji FIRS’ acting chairman.

President Tinubu appoints Zacch Adedeji FIRS’ acting chairman.

Zacch Adedeji, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on revenue, has been appointed acting chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Adedeji, who, at 33, was former governor Abiola’s finance commissioner, was asked to fill the void created by the retirement leave of the outgoing chairman of the commission, Mohammed Nami whose tenure ends in December 2023.

The certified accountant who hails from the Iwo-Ate area of Ogo-Oluwa local government of Oyo state, recently bagged his doctorate degree from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Communal Crisis: Your Suspension Stands, Ekiti Govt Tells "Erring" Traditional Chief.

Communal Crisis: Your Suspension Stands, Ekiti Govt Tells "Erring" Traditional Chief.

The Ekiti State Government, insisted that the suspension slammed on Chief Adesoye Bodunde, the Olokun of Imesi Ekiti, in Gbonyin Local Government Area of the state still subsists, having challenged the government's action in court.

The government said the reversal being sought by the Chief can't be entertained due to the pendency of the case challenging his suspension in the court of law, saying this will be grossly subjudicial.  

Chief Bodunde, had been having a frosty relationship with the Onimesi of Imesi Ekiti, Oba Olatunji Olatunde, which forced the monarch to report him to the state government, citing allegations of the Chief's  involvement in acts that could cause problem in the community.

Sequel to this, Chief Bodunde was slammed with suspension by the state government on August 10, 2023 for his failure to attend a peace meeting convened by it, warning that he should stop parading himself as Olokun, pending the resolution of the matter.

Fighting to have his suspension reversed, Chief Bodunde, had in a letter dated August 30,2023, and addressed to the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, pleaded for another peace meeting with Onimesi to resolve the matter.

But while presiding over the matter on Thursday, Mrs Afuye said the government would have loved to resolve the impasse, but for the fact that the Chief had rushed to court to invalidate his suspension.

The Deputy Governor's action followed the submission of the Writ of Summon filed by Chief Bodunde by Onimesi, where the Ekiti State Government was joined as a defendant.

Addressing the embattled Chief, Mrs Afuye said: "It surprises me that you wrote a letter on August 30,2023 seeking for a peace meeting, but I didn't know you had filed a suit on August 24, challenging your suspension for not attending the meeting called on August 10 to settle the matter.

"It is customary in this office not to entertain any case in court, that will be prejudice and presumptuous. If you want us to reverse this suspension, you won't be challenging us in court. You can't be approbating and reprobating at the same time.

"So, pending the time you will do the needful in this matter, your suspension stands and subsists", she said.

However, Oba Olatunde has said he is ready to make peace with all the stakeholders in Imesi Ekiti to make the town great in terms of progress and development.

The monarch said all the issues being raised by Chief Bodunde could have been resolved by government, but for the suit he filed against him and the state government over his suspension.

The traditional ruler appealed to the estranged Chief to respect leadership and hearken to the voices of reasoning that he shouldn't stoke the ember of discord and acrimony or disrespect the government on this matter.

Tracing the Genesis of the crisis, Chief Bodunde said his problem started in 2018 when he resisted attempt to bend the Onimesi Chieftaincy Declaration to favour the installation of the current monarch because of his believe that issue of tradition should embrace honesty and transparency.

The Chief  added that another area of disagreement was the allegation leveled against him by Onimesi that he was challenging his authority and causing a breach of peace in the town. 

He clarified that the suit he filed was against his suspension by the Onimesi-in-Council and not against the state government as being misconstrued by the monarch.

Ekiti Govt. Approves Rehabilitation Of Ado-Ilawe, GRA Extension-State Pavilion Roads.

Ekiti Govt. Approves Rehabilitation Of Ado-Ilawe, GRA Extension-State Pavilion Roads.

As part of efforts to ensure that all roads in the State are motorable and well-maintained to provide free-flow of traffic and unfettered access into and around the State capital, the Ekiti State Executive Council has approved the rehabilitation of the Ado-Ilawe Road and construction of the dual carriage way between G.R.A III Extension and the State Pavilion along NTA road.

In a statement made available to the Press in Ado Ekiti on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting, the State Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun explained that the focus is to significantly contribute to economic growth and boost social activities.

Rt. Hon. Olatubosun stated that the State Government decided to rehabilitate the Ado-Ilawe road where some sections of the road had deteriorated due to high water-table in some locations which led to failure of the road causing serious discomfort to motorists. Describing the Governor Oyebanji administration’s intervention on road as strategic, Olatunbosun noted that it was designed to ensure alternate routes for motorists to maneuver across the State with minimum stress.

Olatunbosun clarified that the Oyebanji administration formulated a system of sustaining good State road network that link communities with major roads and ease movement around the State in recognition of the fact that the State Government has no control on construction, maintenance and repairs of Federal roads.

Using the on-going rehabilitation of Igede-Ilawe road as an example, the Commissioner stressed that, on completion, the road would ease traffic from Kwara up north to Akure or Lagos in the south as well as serve as a ring road that would help reduce traffic volumes in the State capital by providing alternate route around the city for drivers that do not essentially need to stop in the center of the metropolis. 

“Same goes for the Ikere – Igbara Odo road that links the State with Igbara Oke in Ondo State and beyond without going through the avoidable rigors of driving through the State capital and compounding the traffic situation”, Olatunbosun noted.

He listed other road interventions by the State Government to include the Ilawe Igede road, completion of the bus terminal in Ado Ekiti that was inherited from the previous administration; rehabilitation of Agric Olope-Moferere/Agric Olope-Odo Ado road; reconstruction (excavation and casting) Igbara-Odo-Ikogosi lined drain road; rehabilitation of Ado-Iworoko road.

 

Others are rehabilitation of Ilawe-Erijiyan road; reconstruction of ikere-Ilawe road; construction of Atlas (Ajebamidele)-Deeper Life- Alasia-Shepard-Omisanjana road in Ado Ekiti and the general rehabilitation of Ado township roads.

Olatunbosun assured that the State Government would continue to partner and encourage the Federal Government to maintain its share of roads in the State, adding that though the State do not have resources to cater for Federal roads, the administration would work round the challenge to ensure free flow of traffic in and out of the State without stress. 

The State Executive Council also approved the presentation of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2024 – 2026 documents to the State House of Assembly for legislative processing and passage.

The revenue for the approved period was projected as N235,332,401,626.00 for 2026, N207,974,197,512.00 for 2025, N187,280,552,421.00 for 2024 and N159,754,889,425.00 for 2023 which was use as the base-line.

According to Rt. Hon. Olatunbosun, total expenditure for the same period are estimated as N232,332,401,626.00 for 2026, N204,974,197,512.00 for 2025, N184,280,556,421.00 for 2024 and N156,754,889,425.00.

The Commissioner stated that with due cognizance of the Six Pillars of the administration namely: Governance, Agriculture and Rural Development, human Capital Development, Infrastructure and Industrializations, Youth Development and Job Creation as well as Arts, Culture and Tourism.

He added that the MTEF is made up of Medium-Term sectorial Strategy (MTSS) and The MULTI-Year Budget Framework (MYBF) which is , traditionally, reviewed annually to mitigate the volatility of the National and global economic indices, new government policies and the need to accommodate fresh government’s programmes and projects.

Olatunbosun explained that parameters assumptions and indicators (PAIs) considered include global oil price, Nigeria’s daily oil production, exchange rate of naira to dollar as well as inflation rate and the effect of fuel subsidy removal, adding that all Government ministries, departments and agencies; civil society organisations and other stakeholders were involved in the preparation of the MTEF 2024-2026 towards the 2024 budget.

APC to begin e-membership registration.

APC to begin e-membership registration.

In Pic: Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.

In a bid to consolidate its membership strength, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has concluded plans to embark on electronic registration of over 40 million members nationwide.

The National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje disclosed this when he played host to elected Deputy National Officers and National Executive Committee (NEC) members of the party at the National secretariat in Abuja.

He said the essence of electronic registration is to have the exact number of party members.

Disclosing the innovation, Ganduje said: “Another step that we have taken is that we are reviewing our registration electronically now. The work has already started, so you should be ready that all our members will be electronically registered so that we have an exact number physically”.

Former Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee of the party conducted a nationwide membership registration exercise in 2021 which brought over 40 million members into the party’s registration file.

The National Chairman however lamented that the outcome of the 2023 presidential election was not a true reflection of the number of registered party members.

“If you will recall, we had 41 million members, while after the presidential election, we had 8 million, What happened to the rest? So, we need to be digital and ensure that we are working with the correct data.”

He further said that the party has concluded plans to establish a National Institute of Democratic Studies that will help Nigerians shape their pattern of behaviour in alignment with democracy and progressive ideas.

Leader of the team and Deputy National Treasurer of the party, Hon. Omorode Osifo-Marshall congratulated Ganduje on his election as the 6th National Chairman of the party and pledged their support and loyalty to the new leadership of the party.