…Issues illegal miners 30-day ultimatum
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Minister of Solid Minerals, Oladele Alake, has read the riot act on illegal miners that the ministry has concluded arrangements to embark on comprehensive review of mining licences.
Alake made the disclosure at a press conference with APC Press Corps to unveil the agenda for transformation of solid mineral sectors for international competitiveness and domestic prosperity on Sunday in Abuja.
He issued a 30-day ultimatum to illegal miners to join cooperative, adding that studies and practical experience in the field have identified several factors, such as; “inefficient geo-data, weak implementation and enforcement, poor environmental, safety, and health policies.”
Others, according to him are; “fragility and conflict, unregulated artisanal mining, low technical capacity, lack of access to financing, weak inter-governmental and inter-agency co-ordination and weak federal/state relations over mining land as the severe barriers to the development of the sector.”
Announcing that the 30-day ultimatum to miners and plan to introduce security operatives were parts of his seven transformation agenda, Alake said that he was baffled that a country with precious minerals like gold, bitumen, lithium and uranium in massive proportions could fail to use the resources to liberate its citizens.
His words; “I am giving illegal miners in this country just 30 days grace to join cooperatives or find another vocation. Also, the proposed task force will be domiciled in the ministry and will comprise operatives of all the relevant security agencies.
“For the last time, let me declare again that the ministry is giving such persons 30 days grace to join a miners’ co-operative or find another vocation to do.
“On the expiration of the period, the full weight of the law will fall on anyone seen on a mining site without a determinable status. This message will be interpreted into Nigerian languages and broadcast on the radio to ensure no one is ignorant of this directive.
“From October, a rejuvenated security regime will become active in the solid minerals sector. This will include the Mine Police, sourced from the Nigeria Police and specially trained to detect illegal mining and apprehend offenders.
“The new Mines Surveillance Security Task Force will coordinate the Mines Police and proactively address high-risk incidences of breach of Mining Laws. The federal and state governments will also be encouraged to allocate the prosecution of cases against illegal miners to competent courts,” he said.
Reeling out Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, he said that; “the Solid Minerals ministry is mandated to develop the sector by learning from the achievements and mistakes of the domestic hydrocarbon petroleum industry and applying international best practices.
“We have been mandated to improve on the formulation and regulation guiding prospecting, quarrying, and mining; improve data gathering; monitor and organize more efficiently the sale and consumption of minerals and increase revenue accruable to the federal government from the issuance of permits, licenses, leases and the collection of rents, fees, and royalties.
“The Ministry has to take the bull by the horns if the country must reap the harvest of the trillion dollars worth of minerals under the ground across the country. To achieve this laudable objective, there has to be a paradigm shift in the strategy by re-positioning the sector in terms of the human and capital factors that can drive its transformation.
“The defining characteristic of a serious mining industry is capital formation based on investment activity powered by precise geoscientific data that is transparent and accessible. Mining is big business.
“Consequently, the ministry shall work towards the incorporation of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation. This is a corporate body that will have subsidiaries doing business in the seven priority areas that require immediate intervention and focus: Gold, Coal, Limestone, Bitumen, Lead, Iron-ore and Baryte. Existing enterprises, such as the National Iron-Ore Company, and ongoing arrangements, such as the Bitumen Concessioning Programme, will be reviewed to fit into this new system.
“The proposed corporation will seek and secure partnership investment agreements with big multinational companies worldwide to leverage on the attractive investment-friendly regime operating in the country to secure massive Foreign Direct Investment for the mining sector.
“The positioning of the national corporation as a guarantor and protector of the partnership agreements is expected to assure partners of our seriousness and fidelity,” he said.
