The Nigerian Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, at the weekend called on stakeholders in the mining sector to accelerate action on harnessing the country’s untapped potential in solid minerals, where the it is heavily endowed across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the benefit of all Nigerians.
Adegbite made the call during the 57th Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), with theme “Geosciences, Mining and Environmental Sustainability,” which was held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and where he was represented by the Director General, Mining Cadastre Office (MCO), Engr Obadiah Nkom.
The Minister also explained that the time is now for professionals in the industry to put their hearts together and galvanize the sector for rapid growth and development, as far as diversification of the economy is concerned. He also noted that their expertise is needed to develop the nation’s 44 mineral resources in line with Buhari’s administrative policy for the sector.
His words: “I therefore charge experts in this conference to come up with definite milestones and deliverables regarding the untapped potentials of economic mineral endowments in the country, and identify modern ways of harnessing the mineral commodities in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the country.
“The country needed those with competence for it to get the full potential from the vast mineral deposits spread across every state and local government area. Come up with clear actionable initiatives that would help drive the vision of the Ministry in actualizing its mandate to diversify the economy through the sector.”
Adegbite further assured NMGS that the Ministry stood ready to support its activities as it moves to change the narrative in the sector.
In his own remarks, the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, while delivering a paper titled “Addressing Environmental Issues in the Nigerian Mineral Sector: Regulatory Laws; Policies and Practices”, pointed that while the sector provides vital raw materials and energy for a large number of industries, its activities are still commonly considered as a threat to the natural surroundings, with adverse impacts on the air, water, soil and landscape.
Ogah, who was represented by the Director of Artisanal and Small Scale Mining in the Ministry, Patrick Ojeka, highlighted various environmental issues and impacts of mining, explaining further that the Department of Mines Environmental Compliance (MEC), is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the nation’s mining industry is environmentally conscious and maintains ecological integrity.
He also added that environmental requirements for operators in the sector have been put in place for every stakeholder regarding environmental obligations, even as the Department of Mines Compliance retains the mandate to enforce environmental compliance in mineral resource development in Nigeria.
The Ministry on Monday that it contributed N7.8 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021, the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the Director of Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) Department in the ministry, Mr Patrick Ojeka, as saying.
The Director said the Mining Cadastral Office (MCO) and other agencies of the ministry contributed substantially to the amount, but NAN also reported that MCO, which is an autonomous agency under the Ministry that is saddled with the responsibility of managing and administering mineral titles, revealed at a recent press conference that it made N4.3 billion as revenue in 2021.