The Nigerian Government has asked the indigenous mining engineers for partnership to transform the solid minerals sector in the country.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Alake stated this when the mining engineers headed by the President of the Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers (NSME) Professor Benson Shedrack Jatau paid him a visit in his office in Abuja, the nation’s Capital.
While praising them for their contribution to the development of the sector, Dr.Alake said all hands must be on deck to execute the roadmap for solid minerals development to benefit Nigerians.
The Minister reiterated plans to invest in data on solid minerals to lower barrier to investors and leverage satellite technology and a surveillance task force to tackle the menace of illegal mining.
Dr. Alake noted that the solid minerals sector is the “survival kit” of the country critical to the global clamour for climate change.
He urged mining engineers to bring forward new ideas to promote the implementation of the roadmap to achieve local content across the solid minerals value chain.
On the proposal of the mining engineers asking the government to rename the ministry, the minister said ” it would amount to legal gymnastics that would require institutional calibration.”
Presenting their address to the Minister earlier, Professor Jatau commended the Tinubu administration for splitting the old Ministry of Mines and Steel into the Ministries of Steel and Solid Minerals
However, the society advocated for the use of the Ministry of Minerals Development, arguing that not all minerals are solid.
The NSME commended the campaign of the Minister against illegal mining adding that it has defied all efforts.
Professor Jatau also said that ” for decades, illegal mining activities have thrived in the nation’s mining industry without many successful attempts to contain it…It is expected that this administration demonstrates the political willpower to address the concern and effect appropriate regulatory controls and sanctions.”
Dominica Nwabufo
