By Adetayo Omotoyosi Adeolu
Nigerians in the media and social media space have met with a team from the federal government delegation led by the Honourable Minister for Information, Mohammed Idris, as part of preparations for President Tinubu’s State Visit to the United Kingdom.
The event, which occurred at the Hilton London Kensington on Sunday, March 15, 2026, brought together media professionals in the diaspora.
The event gave Nigerians in the diaspora, particularly those in the media, the opportunity to engage with members of President Tinubu’s delegation. It also provided an opportunity for the media practitioners to introduce themselves and discuss germane issues affecting the country, and outline how to promote Nigeria in the UK.
Some of the figures present include the Honourable Minister for Solid Minerals, Dele Alake. Also, some members of the Nigerian in Diaspora (NIDO), present at the gathering, were Lady Jane Ezeolu, the Vice Chairman, Honourable Judy, the first Vice-Chair of CANUK, Honourable Ibinabo Idugan (Deputy Secretary, CANUK), DJ Jaiddo, Lady Joy and Lady Oby.
Journalists who attended the gathering include Femi Oke, the Director-General of BellaNaija, and Adeniyi Taiwo, a journalist who works with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), among others.
Speaking during the event, Honourable Minister for Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, disclosed that the Federal government has injected 3.5 billion dollars worth of gold into the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The minister added that in the market, Nigerian gold remains one of the finest and most sought-after.
He added that Nigeria now has a gold refining company that is domiciled at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos, which is capable of refining gold up to 99.9 percent which he claimed was hitherto available in Canada and a few other countries.
Alake further revealed that he has approved more gold refining companies in different geopolitical zones of the country.
The minister also said most of the operators who were previously extracting and shipping out the materials now have their own processing plants in Nigeria, a development he claimed has attracted over $1.3 billion in investment in Nigeria.
The attendees expressed their readiness for Tinubu’s State Visit to the UK.
