Stakeholders in Ekiti State has commended the Federal Government for the launch of a road map by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development in its current reform to further developing the nation’s solid mineral sector.
At the event, participants disclosed that “the non-implementation of the Mineral and Mining Act 2007 of Nigeria is responsible for the weak mechanism for gathering, disseminating and archiving critical geological data required by investors.”
According to them, the policy maker have continued to create
problems for the growth and development of the solid mineral sector in the country.
The stakeholders however expressed their views at a seminar organized by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) organized in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State capital at a one-day Policy dialogue on the project “strengthening civic engagement and advocacy for effective natural resource governance in Nigeria” with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
They also recommended that the Federal Government and all
relevant stakeholders in the mining industry should make the
implementation of the Mining Act 2007 and the current road map
seriously as proper implementation can create employment, increase revenue and ensure prosperity for all Nigerians.
According to them, to achieve effective reform of the sector,
government at both federal and state levels should take working with citizens seriously, to enable various parties in the sector
contribute to the development, create employment and wealth for the benefit of all citizens.
In his remarks at the gathering, the Commissioner of Commerce,
Industries and Cooperatives in Ekiti State, Hon. Michael Ayodele,
said the forum offers the opportunity of bottom-up approach in
management decision making will likely prevent such problems in the mining environment.
Ayodele noted that the result of the dialogue, will bring peace
between miners and the host communities, saying the seminar is
designed to strengthen civic advocacy and engagement for effective
natural resource governance in Nigeria.
Also speaking, the Executive Director, African Centre for
Leadership, Strategy and Development, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, represented by the programme Director, Mr. Monday Osasah, said it is a first state level policy dialogue on the project “strengthening civic advocacy and engagement for effective natural resource governance in Nigeria” being implemented in Ebonyi, Ekiti and Taraba States.
Igbuzor, noted that the Federal government has earmarked the sum of N30 billion intervention fund for the mining sector in the country and the need to get better organized to assess this fund is now of up
most importance.
