Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Alake says that bottlenecks and challenges hampering seamless mining operations in the Country are being addressed.
This was made known in a press statement issued by his special Assistant on Media, Mr. Segun Tomori, during a courtesy visit of the former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, and ex-director-general of the Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Okechukwu to the Minister in Abuja, the nation’s Capital.
Dr. Alake also restated President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to make solid minerals the nation’s highest revenue provider.
The Minister re-echoed the President’s assertion that Nigeria is open for business, declaring that the mining sector is poised to be the most attractive for foreign and local investments.
“We are concentrating on exploring and exploiting at least eight (8) minerals that we have the comparable advantage, and we have in immense commercially viable quantities. So, we are addressing all bottlenecks, from challenges of insecurity to the menace of unlicensed miners to getting the buy-in of host communities, protecting their rights, and factoring their dues into mines operations. We have the full support of President Bola Tinubu, we are reviewing policies to be executed soon,” the Minister assured.
In their remarks, former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu and ex-director-general of the Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Okechukwu commended the Minister of Solid Minerals Development for reigniting national interest in the solid minerals sector.
Mr. Shittu said, the sector holds the key to sustainable diversification of the economy.
The former Minister added that Nigeria is blessed with abundant mineral resources, and has no reason to be dependent on dwindling oil revenue, emphasising that Dr. Alake has taken the bull by the horn in turning the tide with ongoing reforms of the mining sector.
