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To develop
the nation’s minerals and metal sector in a sustainable
manner, there is the need for all stakeholders in the sector
to collaborate effectively.
The Minister of Mines and
Steel Development, Arc. Musa Mohammed Sada made this known
during his meeting with a delegation of Ekiti State
Government led by the Executive Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi
in his office.
The
high-powered delegation led by the Governor comprised the
Commissioners of Commerce and Industry; Integration and
Intergovernmental Affairs; Finance, Budget and Planning as
well as Information and Civic Orientation
Arc. Sada said the
exclusivity of the nation’s solid mineral resources which
was grossly misunderstood by stakeholders in the sector
could be resolved with the cooperation of the Federal
Government and all other stakeholders in the sector.
The Minister explained that
the level of commitment of the Federal Government to move
the minerals and metal sector forward has necessitated the
enactment of various regulatory frameworks such as mining
regulations which was meant to complement the Nigerian
Minerals and Mining Act of 2007.
He said” The situation is
that the exclusivity of the solid mineral resources is
grossly misunderstood but when you actually look at the
reform laws, you find out that there are avenues where
states can cooperate, all it means is for us at the Federal
level to encourage and for you to cooperate with us and we
will be able to move forward “.
Arc. Sada who decried the
resultant effects of illegal mining in the country said “One
of the problems we are having is that people will take
titles, go out to the bushes with them and then simply don’t
know what to do. What to do is left to their own discretion
and at the end of the day, a lot of illegalities happen and
the government is shortchanged with nothing to show for it,
if you have people who play hide and seek game, you can
hardly have anything out of it”.
He added that governments at
both federal and state levels with other relevant
stakeholders have a role to play in order to forestall the
spate of illegal mining in the country.
The Minister said hard
copies of the draft Mining Regulations were distributed to
Stakeholders both locally and internationally while the soft
copy was also posted on the Ministry’s website for useful
inputs and suggestions in order to arrive at widely accepted
mining regulations for the nation’s minerals and metal
sector.
Arc. Sada disclosed that
with the dynamism of mining regulations, the Federal
Government has come up with the strategy of taking useful
suggestions from relevant stakeholders which would be
analyzed for effective exploitation of the nation’s solid
minerals resources of the country.
The
Minister reaffirmed the present administration’s
determination to make the minerals and metal sector the
economic bedrock of the nation in conformity with the
transformation agenda.
He stressed the need for all
relevant stakeholders to come up with useful ideas on how to
move the sector forward.
In his words “Mr.
President’s own agenda is to provide for improved economic
standing of the country and the solid minerals sector is
being looked at as being responsible for additional input,
apart from oil and I think the only way we can do it is by
having everyone on board to come up with his or her own
ideas so that we would be able to move forward”.
He said the activities of
State Mineral Resources and Environmental Management
Committee (MIREMCO) that was established to serve as a
buffer between the Federal Government and states has been
grossly abused as a result of excesses of local chiefs at
the state level.
He disclosed that the
Federal Government is currently working on setting up a
standard form of consent which would curtail activities of
illegal miners and other nefarious activities in the mining
operations.
He said ‘’We are currently
working on a standard form of consent that is much refined,
you will see a series of authorities that have
to sign the form ,you will not just go to the village heads
and get a consent. It will have to go through certain level
of authority and when it comes, it will be recognized and we
will now catch up on people practicing illegal mining”.
Arc Sada added that this
system would also give room for both the local and state
governments to monitor the activities of mining operators.
He said the Federal
Government will develop a Community Development Agreement
that conforms to the international best practices for
the exploitation of the nation’s solid mineral resources.
The Minister advised the
state government on the setting up of a technical session
whereby the technical professionals from both the federal
and state governments would sit down and brainstorm on the
way forward for the sector.
Earlier his address, the
Executive Governor of Ekiti State and the leader of the
delegation, Dr Kayode Fayemi said the purpose of their visit
was to congratulate the Minister on his reappointment and
also to explore areas of collaboration with the Federal
Government in the development of the nation’s solid mineral
resources.
.He commended various
reforms initiatives such as the regulatory frameworks, among
others put up by the Ministry to move the minerals and metal
sector forward.
Dr. Fayemi said the
government of Ekiti State has started series of work in the
areas of exploration and exploitation of those mineral
resources that are available in commercial quantities in the
state.
He disclosed that Ekiti
State is in the process of establishing a company within the
ambit of the law to drive the development of the minerals
and steel sector in the state, adding that “It is better
done legally with a private sector mindset than a government
mind set”.
The governor acknowledged
that Ekiti state has a role to play at ensuring that the
mining title holders are effectively monitored in order to
achieve the desired result.
He also reiterated the state
government’s commitment to cooperate with the Federal
Government at ensuring that Ekiti State benefits immensely
from the reform initiatives of the Federal Government in
moving the nation’s minerals and metal sector forward.
The Governor of Ekiti State
Dr, Kayode Fayemi was delighted to be the first Governor
visiting the Minister on his second tenure in the ministry,
hoping that this would amount to a good omen for Ekiti state
in the development of its vast mineral resources. |
