By Adedapo Adesanya

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, has directed the country’s mining marshals to seal off an illegal gold mining site discovered in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

This action comes in the wake of an earlier operation by the marshals which led to the successful recovery and sealing of a mining site around the District 2 Extension layout in Gwagwalada on August 16, 2025.

Preliminary investigations revealed that illegal artisanal miners invaded the area after the accidental discovery of a gold vein during the digging of a soakaway pit near a residential property. The most recent incident took place on a farmland located behind CKC in Gwagwalada.

Upon receiving intelligence reports of renewed unlawful mining activity, Mr Alake promptly ordered the deployment of mining marshals to secure the site.

Conducting an on-the-spot assessment of the area on Wednesday, Ministry officials led by the Director of Mines Inspectorate, represented by the Deputy Director, Mr Sunday Okhuoya, expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance with the Minister’s directive, disclosing that relevant departments of the Ministry have launched a thorough investigation to unravel the root of these incidents whilst recommending measures to prevent a recurrence.

Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps (ACC) John Attah Onoja, confirmed that his team has established 24-hour surveillance over both affected sites, pending the outcome of the federal government’s ongoing inquiry.

In view of the potential environmental and public health risks associated with the illegal mining operations, the Minister advised residents to steer clear of the affected areas while enforcement and remediation efforts are underway.

The minister reiterated the federal government’s firm resolve to eradicate illegal mining activities across the country, asserting that the Ministry is fast-tracking the deployment of satellite surveillance technology to monitor mining operations nationwide and significantly strengthen enforcement capacity.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The chief executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Bashir Ojulari, alleged that some persons who do not mean well for the country have continued to launch attacks on the organisation in a bid to frustrate the gains recorded by the ongoing transformation efforts.

However, he assured that the management would not rest on its oars and continued to forge ahead because these reforms will benefit the nation in the long run.

“We are under attack. We will not budge to short-term pressure, as it will not be in the best interest of Nigerians. You cannot drive change without a price, and the transformation is tough,” Mr Ojulari said when he received a team from the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) at the NNPC Towers in Abuja on Thursday.

He thanked the leadership of the union for its support, charging it to stay calm and build resilience to stay focused during these trials. He emphasised that patience will be required from the Nigerian people at large to get to the other side of change, which will benefit Nigeria and her citizens.

“I am overwhelmed with the support from the union executives present here. The enemies of this company and Nigerians will not win,” he added, noting that since coming on board about five months ago, his team prioritised reviving the nation’s refineries in order to put them back into more sustainable and profitable venture by considering the Incorporated Joint Venture (IJV) model.

“Mr President doesn’t pressure me to do the wrong thing; that is why we are looking at the baseline to ensure whatever we are doing, the refineries work sustainably going forward. We don’t want to pretend and just do some quick fix because there is pressure on us,” Mr Ojulari stated.

Earlier in his address, the president of PENGASSAN, Mr Festus Osifo, said the oil workers union came to thank the NNPC management for its partnership during the recently held 2025 PENGASSAN Energy & Labour Summit (PEALS) in Abuja.

The union also acknowledged the “remarkable milestones” recorded so far under Mr Ojulari’s watch, stating, “Our pipelines are now working. Also, crude oil theft has significantly reduced, leading to increased production.

“As PENGASSAN, we assure you that we are solidly behind you. We will work with you and collaborate with your team to ensure the stability of the system for the benefit of all Nigerians.”

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has expressed its readiness to support 150,000 young Nigerians with N110 billion.

The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this on Thursday in Kano at the launch of the five nationwide enlightenment campaigns on government policies, national values and identities, security awareness and disaster preparedness.

He said over 600,000 students have so far benefited from the N59 million disbursed under the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme.

The director general, who was represented by Mr Williams Dogo, Director, Legal Services of the agency, said that NELFUND was available to all qualified Nigerians in public tertiary institutions, noting that the sensitisation programme, with the theme Nationwide Sensitisation on Five Thematic Areas, was designed to deepen citizens’ knowledge of government initiatives.

The NOA boss explained that the campaign would highlight the presidential directive on flood mitigation, which provided for the release of N3 billion to each state in 2024 for drainage clearance and relocation of vulnerable communities.

He said that 700 schools had been renovated nationwide as an intervention to improve learning facilities in rural areas, stating that more than 15,000 new security personnel had been deployed nationwide to address diverse security challenges.

“It is our intention to carry out security awareness campaigns reaching no fewer than three million Nigerians in each state through media engagements, advocacy visits to traditional and religious leaders, rallies at markets and motor parks, as well as town hall meetings,” he said.

On national values, he said that reorientation campaign would focus on patriotism, unity and campaigns against extreme graduation practices that contradict cultural norms, adding that the campaign would also familiarise Nigerians with the current national anthem, which was changed by President Bola Tinubu.