Nigeria Mining Week: Senator Ekong Sampson, Honourable Ministers, raise hopes for Mining in Nigeria

0
37

Nigeria Mining Week: Senator Ekong Sampson, Honourable Ministers, raise hopes for Mining in Nigeria

experts proffer solutions to drive sector

By Samuel Udoma

ABUJA – The Chairman, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Senator Ekong Sampson, and some government key players within the nation’s socioeconomic sphere, have foreseen positive projections for Nigeria’s Mining industry, raising hopes of a bright future for the sector. Senator Sampson noted that Nigeria, with her enormous endowments in mineral resources buried in the belly of the earth all over the country, had no reasons, whatsoever, to be poor.

Senator Sampson offered these insights yesterday, while delivering his goodwill message at the ongoing Nigeria Mining Week, taking place at the Abuja Continental Hotel, FCT, Abuja. The annual Mining Week provides a veritable platform for fostering of collaboration, innovation, and sustainable development for policy makers and practitioners, both within and outside Nigeria.

The Week brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and industry to engage in discussions on transforming Nigeria’s rich mineral resources into a major driver of economic growth and national prosperity. This year’s event is themed: ‘From the Inside Out: Building the mining sector to be the cornerstone of Nigeria’s economy’.

Senator Sampson in his speech, highlighted that the minerals sector of Nigeria can only thrive through layers of multidimensional partnerships and collaborations, across a spectrum of the industry policy drivers and players.

Sampson, a former Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Environment and Petroleum Resources, lamented the activities of illegal miners, whom he noted, decapitated the environment, maim, kill and displace communities through sponsored banditry. He harped on the need for improved security and safeguards within the sector.

Senator Sampson notified that there were a number of relevant Bills before the Senate for consideration, assuring that the Committee on Solid Minerals was working to streamline both extant and new legislations that can help fill gaps and improve productivity in the mining industry.

Sampson commended the Dr. Dele Alake led-Ministry of Solid Minerals Development for its commitment to elevating operations in the sector through strategic programmes and policies, assuring that they will continue to work together, alongside other stakeholders, to drive meaningful reform in the sector.

Also in his goodwill message, Chairman, House Committee on Solid Minerals, Hon. Jonathan Gbefwi stated that his Committee was very committed to ensuring that the mining sector of Nigeria lived up to its expectations. Gaza, as he is fondly called, hinted that the House of Reps Committee was comparing notes with its Senate counterpart to further legislative interventions for the sector.

Earlier in his opening speech, Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake outlined government’s latest policies and initiatives aimed at revitalizing the mining sector and positioning it for long-term growth.

Alake highlighted ongoing efforts to drive the transformation of Nigeria’s mining industry through the seven-point agenda. Alake shared that the comprehensive framework, introduced last year, has served as a roadmap for tackling the sector’s most pressing challenges, such as illegal mining, inadequate infrastructure, and regulatory inefficiencies.

There were also a number of high profile speeches, notably from the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, who represented President Bola Tinubu, Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shauibu Abubakar Audu. In their separate remarks, the Honourable Ministers re-echoed the need for collaboration and policy streamlining to rejig the nation’s mining industry.

In a series of technical sessions, top industry experts including Dele Ayankele, President, Miners Association of Nigeria, Samukelo Madlabane, Dr. Mary Ogbe, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals, Aisha Rimi, Executive Secretary, Nigeria Investment Promotion Council, among many others pinpointed some areas for improvement and collaboration within the industry, such regulations, ease of business, need for accurate data, security, among other factors, to engender sustainable sectoral growth.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here