The Senate Committee on the development of solid minerals has urged governors to deepen collaboration with the Federal Government and the National Assembly to effectively take advantage of the great potential in the solid mineral sector in Nigeria
The president, the Senate of Solidar Mineral Senate, Senator Ekong Sampson, gave the warning when his committee made visits to Courtesy to Peter Mbah and Francis Nwifuru, governors of the states of ENUGU and Ebonyi in their respective domains.
Senator Samson, in the company of members of his committee, was in the two southeast states, as part of his supervision activities in mining sites in the country.
He pointed out that the visits would carry out the mandate of the tenth Senate to analyze the potential mining to initiate legislative interventions to develop them.
He said: “On behalf of the Senate Committee on solid minerals, we are here beyond our supervision. We were in the state of Ebonyi, where we turned some mining sites, to see how we can deepen mining policies in this country.
“We are here beyond the mandate that the Senate gave us to go around this country and see how we can deepen mining policies in this country.
“So we have come here to compare notes and then to go around some mining sites, form a BELTER of recommendations that we are going to do to the Senate.
“The solid mineral sector is a sector that will clearly help boost Nigeria's economy.
“We have depended a lot on oil, and it is time for us to see beyond oil and the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We will eliminate a lot of oil. We still feel that we have to look beyond oil and the federal government, skillfully directed by our beloved president, through our renewed agenda of hope, the sector is being taken very seriously.
“Appropriate the sum of N1Trillion in the 2025 budget, clearly indicates a road map that the Government has for the sector.
“Therefore, there has been a clear deviation from the past and a very serious commitment that the government is contributing to help boost this sector at this time so that we can deepen the plans of our economy.
“These visits have been designed to interact with interested parties. We did it yesterday in Ebonyi. Today we are here.
“We also intend to turn some mining sites, see things for ourselves and further explore the great opportunities that the sector presents for its state.
“In truth, we are committed to an association that will further promote the perspectives for our people. This is a movement of the renewed agenda of hope of the president.
“These are also moments for collaboration. We have noticed that for us to significantly boost the mining sector, there must be a level of collaboration among the entire government. No level of government can only go if we want to take advantage of all the potential for mining in the country.
“The center has to work with the United States and states, of course, they have to work with the locals. There must be a winning synergy. Because the sector is full of potential, it is full of endowments and we can maximize the advantage.”
While welcoming the legislators, Governor Peter Mbah praised the National Assembly for his initiative to boost the diversification of the economy by looking for an enabling environment for the mining sector to prosper.
“I also believe that the task of this committee is of the utmost importance.
“It is a very important task because solid minerals have a great economic opportunity for this country, particularly when we think or talk about economic diversification.
“I think we have no sector that has the potential as much as the solid mineral sector, and somehow, it seems that we are suffering the tragedy of the common ones.
“So, I think that with the review of the Mining Law that is in progress, I am sure that it would ensure that there is much more state inclusion, more state participation in the exploration or exploitation of solid minerals because I believe that both for the national and the subnational, it has a very large potential. That is why its committee is of great importance for the entire country.
“And then, of course, collaboration. I think if we collaborate with you and then you can even have technical sections with us.
“Part of the main challenge even to completely explore the mining sector or the solid mineral sector is the lack of data and then, when it has them, they are obsolete or not current and even when they are acted, they are not enough to make investment decisions.
“That is why I talked about the tragedy of the commons, because if there is a clear line of responsibility and one clearly understands what the corresponding benefit is, then we can invest or attract large companies that would invest in mining or in solid minerals in Nigeria,”
Previously, while receiving the committee in Abakaliki on Monday, the Vice Governor of Ebonyi, Princess Patricia Obila, who organized the committee on behalf of its director, Governor Nwifuru, his deputy and Princess Patricia Obila, said the State was ready to maintain the association with the Senate and the federal government to take advantage of the resources to generate its income generated internationally (IGR).
She said: “Here, in the state of Ebonyi, we still have a lot to do with respect to the Ministry of Solid Minerals. We have many without exploiting mineral deposits in our area and so that you come to the state of Ebonyi, it is commendable.
“We are very determined and committed to having a good synergy because we need to take advantage of all these resources and when all are totally exploited, not only will our income generated internally increase, but also help the State.
“Not only the State, we will pay our royalties to the federal government and for the moment you know, everyone will benefit. Therefore, we really need your cooperation.”
Other members of the committee during the visits included the vice president, Senator Kabeb Mustapha, most attached whip of the Senate, Senator Onyakochi Nwebonyi, Senate Anthony Ani, Senator Kelvin Chukwu, Senator Diket Plang and Senator Okechukwu Ezea.
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