The Acting Director-General of the National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency (NSRMEA), Mr. Alex Ohikere, has called on governments to assist in making data available for investors in the solid minerals exploration sector.

Ohikere told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that data on the exploration industry should easily be accessed by potential investors if the Federal Government would attain its “Vision 20:2020”.

Government’s “Vision 20:2020” targets at making Nigeria one of the biggest 20 economies in the world by year 2020. Ohikere noted that in countries like Japan, Russia and Israel mineral explorations were done by governments because investors considered the exercise too risky. “When you go into exploration, the result may be negative regardless of how much you spend on the venture. So it is a risky job.

It’s fifty-fifty, so they are hardly interested in carrying out this aspect of mineral development. The investors usually prefer already made data on minerals deposits and this is where the government comes in to help gather the data to make available to these investors, so that they can come in and use the data to open up mines.”

Ohikere said that there was the need for federal and states governments to pull resources and invest in the exploration sector to enhance national development.