Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: China

  • International Tensions Rise as China Rejects Mining-Linked Terror Funding Claims

    International Tensions Rise as China Rejects Mining-Linked Terror Funding Claims

    According to Premium Times, the Chinese government has officially rejected allegations made by US lawmakers regarding illegal mining and terrorism financing in Nigeria. The rebuttal comes after a report suggested that some Chinese-owned mining operations in Northern Nigeria were providing financial support to insurgent groups to secure access to mineral-rich lands.

    In an update published by the same outlet, the Chinese embassy in Abuja described the claims as “baseless” and “politically motivated.” They maintained that Chinese companies operate within the legal framework of Nigerian law and contribute significantly to the country’s industrial growth and infrastructure development.

    The dispute has placed the Nigerian government in a delicate diplomatic position, as both the US and China are key economic and security partners. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has vowed to intensify its crackdown on all forms of illegal mining, regardless of the nationality of the firms involved, to protect national security.

    The Nation and Daily Post reported on the brewing diplomatic row. The Nation quoted a diplomatic source saying, “Nigeria must verify these claims independently to avoid being a pawn in global power play,” while Daily Post noted that “security agencies have already arrested several foreign nationals in connection with illicit mining.”

    Echotitbits take: The “resource curse” is taking a new dimension in Nigeria with these international allegations. If proven, the link between mining and terror could lead to heavy sanctions. Nigeria needs to urgently formalize its artisanal mining sector to prevent it from becoming a slush fund for insurgents.

    Source: Vanguard – https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/02/china-denies-us-claims-of-illegal-mining-terror-funding-in-nigeria/, February 13, 2026

    Photo credit: Vanguard

  • China widens retaliation list over Taiwan arms sales, targeting U.S. defence firms

    China widens retaliation list over Taiwan arms sales, targeting U.S. defence firms

    Photo Credit: The Punch
    2025-12-27 06:00:00

    Figures cited by Punch show Beijing announced new sanctions against U.S. defence firms in response to American arms sales to Taiwan, signalling that the dispute is broadening beyond diplomacy into corporate pressure.

    The report said the measures reflect China’s push to raise the cost of what it views as interference in its core sovereignty claims, even as Washington frames sales as defensive support for Taipei.

    Market watchers note that repeated sanction cycles can complicate supply chains, restrict partnerships, and heighten investor caution in sensitive dual‑use technology sectors.

    Echotitbits take:
    This is less about immediate economic pain and more about signalling. Watch whether sanctions affect specific executives, subsidiaries, or export licences—and how U.S. firms and allies recalibrate exposure to China‑linked risks.

    Source: The Punch — December 26, 2025 (https://punchng.com/china-sanctions-us-defence-firms-over-taiwan-arms-sale/)
    The Punch December 26, 2025

  • Amaechi gives contractor 5months to complete Nigeria’s $1.6b Lagos-Ibadan rail

    Amaechi gives contractor 5months to complete Nigeria’s $1.6b Lagos-Ibadan rail

    • Funds are not a challenge – Rotimi Amaechi
    • Borrowing for infrastructure is not bad – Lai Mohammed

    Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has assured that the delay in the competition of the $1.6 billion Lagos-Ibadan rail project was not due to a challenge of fund.

    According to a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Transportation, Eric Ojiekwe,  Amaechi gave this explanation on Saturday during an inspection tour of the project, in company of Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed.

    stating that the delay was  rather due to lack of workers on site.

    Amaechi clarified that rather than a fund problem, the delay was due to lack of workers on site.

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    Echotitbits gathered from the Ministry’s statement that the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria caused the over one billion dollar project to pause.

    The minister, was however said to have tasked the contractor handling the -Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail, Messrs China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), to complete the project within five months.

    The minister, who reckoned that COVID-19 had come to stay, urged the contractor to develop measures such as making personal protective equipment for their workers so as to complete the project within the stipulated time frame.

    He added that safety measures such as compulsory use of masks and safety shields should be provided for the workers across the sites of the project.

    Also stated was the reason why the Ibadan-Kano $5.6 billion rail was yet to commence. The minister, assuring that the project remained a priority of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration,  stated that a loan facility from China Export-Import Bank, meant to commence the project was yet to be processed by the Federal Government.

    Ameachi’s co-minister in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Mohammed, commended efforts made so far on the project: “I am very impressed. This is the reason why we are borrowing the money so that Nigerians can travel in dignity and comfort”.

    Reacting to public outcry over government’s borrowings over the months, Mohammed explained that monies borrowed were not for grandiose display nor for overhead or running costs for the nation but rather for capital projects which on completion would create jobs and provide needed infrastructure for Nigerians.

    Mohammed added that borrowing for infrastructure and improved service delivery for the people isn’t bad.

    While also urging the contractor, CCECC not to disappoint on the project, Mohammed commended Amaechi for driving the project with passion.

    Also, the Managing Director, Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria, revealed that the corporation was already working out modalities so as to commence operations on the Lagos-Ibadan and the Itakpe-Warri rail corridor in September.

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    Other government functionaries who participated in the inspection tour are the inspection tour included Managing Director, Nigeria Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala-Usman, the Board Chairman, NRC, Mr Ibrahim Alhassan Musa, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Hassan Bello, among others.

    Photos: