The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Alake has restated that the decision of the Federal Government to diversify from hydrocarbon to making the minerals sector major contributor to Nigeria’s gross domestic product is the country’s contribution to climate change.
Dr Alake dropped this hint While receiving a delegation of the Miners Association of Nigeria, led by its National President, Mr. Dele Ayanleke, in his office, the minister commended the association for its recommendations and consistent role in organising the Mining Week.
He recalled that Nigeria has been operating mono-cultural economy for long noting that the shift to solid minerals is overdue.
He said: ”Our vision is to make solid minerals our pride, a major contributor to Nigeria’s gross domestic product. We will diversify from oil, to exploit it for survival of Nigeria. This is our own contribution to climate change”.
To this end, Alake emphasised that the Ministry is committed to making requisite policies that would sanitise and rejig the regulatory framework and to make it more conducive for local and foreign investors to play”.
On the issue of incursion by the second tier of government into mining, the minister stressed that the Federal Government would engage state and local governments with a view to resolving surrounding issues within the ambit of the law.
On securing the mining sector environment for maximum yield to the Federal Government, Alake said that high end technology will be deployed coupled with inter-agency taskforce to arrest the menace completely. He therefore, sought partnership with the association to strengthen capacity in this regard for the growth and repositioning of the sector.
Earlier, Ayanleke expressed absolute assurance that the seven-point agenda unfolded by the minister under the Renewed Hope agenda of the present administration would consolidate and enhance the sector for maximum contribution to national development.
The delegation also included representatives of the VUKA group, co- organiser of the forthcoming Nigeria Mining Week; foremost accounting firm, Price Waterhouse Coopers.
