Illegal mining: Africa will no longer permit smuggling of weapons, mineral resources — Tinubu

..Pledges to avoid rest until every Nigerian is lifted out of poverty

…Woos Nigerians in Diaspora to return home

…US Deputy Treasury secretary commends Tinubu, says Nigeria is proving to be a new frontier for investment

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sounded a warning to foreigners in Africa, and Nigeria specifically, noting that the continent will no longer permit smuggling of weapons and her mineral resources.

He declared that African nations will no longer accept a situation in which human rights advocacy is used by wealthy and powerful nations to stop developing economies from dealing decisively with malign actors who illicitly siphon and smuggle out the continent’s vast mineral resources while smuggling in western-made weapons, which enrich the wealthiest economies in the world at the parasitic expense of African stability and wealth creation.

President Tinubu in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, was quoted as saying this when he met  with the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, at his UN Headquarters Office in New York City.

“We are facing the great challenge of scavengers ravaging our lands and oppressing our people on illegal mines—taking our gold and mineral wealth back to developed economies by stealth and violence against Nigerians.

“Where one’s human right ends, the rights of another begin. Most especially for self-protection. If we fight, they say ‘human rights,’ but we will now be aggressive and we will question motives. We will stop what is happening in our land. We require your effective collaboration,” the President firmly stated.

The Nigerian leader noted that the United Nations must transform from being one of the world’s foremost talkshops to discuss global issues into becoming the world’s foremost action coordination center, saying that a situation in which 70% of the resources being devoted to the world’s poorest countries are being spent and sent back out on overheads and administrative costs, will defeat the purpose and objectives of the organisation where help is needed most.

Speaking further, Tinubu pledged to avoid resting until every Nigerian is lifted out of poverty.

According to him: “The poverty ravaging our continent and the question of security and counter-terrorism requires us to work in close and effective synergy. The world will ignore Nigeria at its own peril. If we engage in talkshops as real challenges wreak real havoc in real time, we will fail. The time to strike is now. The time to achieve real results is now. I fought for democracy. I was detained for democracy. I am now President and I am determined to prove that democracy can provide the development that our nation and our continent so urgently demands.

“Trace those of us here to our foundations and you will find that we have ties and links with poverty. We must not be ashamed of that history, but poverty is unacceptable. I am one of the lucky survivors of gripping poverty. Nigeria is truly a giant. 240 million people and counting with a massive youth population. We are done saying too much. We seek much action. We have arisen out of poverty as individuals, but until our people have arisen out of that, we will not rest, even if it requires decisions at home that make me temporarily unpopular,” the President affirmed.

Responding, the UN Secretary-General emphasised that the UN system is in the process of real reform that will largely address some of the institutional frailties and lack of decision-making power for the developing world, on whose behalf more than 75% of UN resources are accrued.

“We now recognise the need to reform the institution to represent the world as it is today. The questions of debt and SDRs. The fact that middle-income countries have only marginal access to concessional funding. In the SDGs Summit, we believe we have a growing political consensus and now, a declaration, in this regard. We are pursuing this with great determination,” the UN Secretary-General said.

The UN Secretary-General further assured President Tinubu of the fullest support of the UN system for ECOWAS in light of the series of military coups which have occured in the West African sub-region in the past few months and years.

“Mr. President, we have high expectations for your presidency after the many bold steps you have taken. Nigeria is an indispensable voice in the sub-region. We will give you every support needed for your success to be achieved. Your success is Africa’s success and we wish you well,” the UN leader concluded.

Similarly, the President has wooed Nigerians in the diaspora to return home while encouraging them to rise above failure by having a change of mindset for success in all their endeavours in life.

Tinubu gave the advice at the Presidential Townhall Meeting with Nigerians in the diaspora on Wednesday in New York.

The Townhall Meeting was organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on the sidelines of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.

“I want to give you a measure that will resonate with you. I was once a diaspora. What you have been through, I have been through it. Change of mindset is necessary.

“Take it this night that Nigeria is home for business opportunities. Also, anywhere you stay, there is always going to be an opportunity in, and in everything you do, there is always going to be an opportunity, if you know how to search and put your mind into it,’’ he said.

“You are lucky to be among those who are celebrated for good manners and behaviour and are operating in an acceptable manner.

“I’m very proud of you; I have also been beneficial of inspiration, determination, commitment and perseverance and that is all you need  to get to pull through.

“But, we need you back home, Nigeria has arrived; forget the frustration of the previous year’s leadership,’’ he said.

Earlier, the Chairperson of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa introduced some Nigerians excelling in their chosen fields in in the U.S. to the president.

Some of them who spoke expressed their delight in the leadership courage of the president, pledging to continue to support him in his efforts to reform Nigeria.

They promised that they would continue to make Nigeria proud in their host country and also contribute their quotas to the development of the home country.

In his remarks, the first Nigerian-American elected into the United States Congress, Oye Owolewa, said 25 per cent of business orders in the U,S. were black and 1.7 per cent got federal contracts.

Owolewa, who represents Washington DC, said they have been supporting people to take advantage ot such opportunities for their economic empowerment.

“Those are the opportunities to make investors biggest in New York.

“In my office, we do the talk, we teach our people how to get contract, we teach our people how to get grants.,’’ he said.

…US Deputy Treasury secretary commends Tinubu, says Nigeria is proving to be a new frontier for investment

At the Nigeria-US Executive Business Roundtable, the US Deputy Treasury secretary, Wally Adeyemo has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the steps his administration is taking in making Nigeria a hub for investments in Africa.

Speaking, Wally said, “In Lagos, I saw, first-hand, some of the major reforms you implemented as the Governor of Lagos and the transformative effect on Nigeria’s commercial capital.

‘’People have attested to the fact that the reforms you have put in place as President are quickly enhancing confidence.

‘’American business is paying attention to that and from what we have seen for ourselves, Nigeria is proving to be a new frontier for investment.

‘’We will encourage our companies from our end as those reforms continue to deepen,” Adeyemo said.