Gabriel Ewepu

It is no longer news that President Muhammadu Buhari in his inaugural speech, shortly after he was sworn-in as president of Nigeria at the Eagle Square, promised Nigerians drastic diversification from a mono-economy and sole revenue generation from the oil and gas sector to agriculture and solid minerals.

Solid minerals

Recently, the President at the presentation of 2016 budget of N6.08tr at the joint session of the National Assembly, re-emphasised  diversification of the economy and projected that funding and implementation of the budget will come from sectors like the solid minerals.

However, mining experts said that for the government to achieve its target for the sector, a total overhaul backed up by strong political will is needed.

An Exploration and Economic Geologist, Oyewola Oyeniyi, said the government should focus on restructuring and equipping the Mines Inspectorate Department for optimal performance and supported with the re-introduction of Mines Police.

“The Ministry has been under a number of distinguished Ministers since inception, and each Minister has contributed in one way or the other to the current status of the ministry.

“Personally, one contentious area that calls for urgent attention is the Mines Inspectorate Department, which indirectly through its action or inaction determines the revenue accruable to Government from mining.

“In the days of Amalgamated Tin Mines of Nigeria (ATMN), Gold and Base and other mining companies on the Jos Plateau, along with the Mines Inspectorate, there was the Mines Police Department that would challenge any person found with any mined product without licence, no matter how highly placed,” he said.

He decried the situation where Mine products are freely hawked around presently.

“In Nigeria today, Mine products are freely hawked around, though the laws against such act still persist. Within the same purview is what we refer to as illegal miners. There are different categories of illegal miners. The most known are those who have no licence to engage in any form of mining.

“They are most prominent in Gemstone and alluvial Gold mining. They claim that the resources occur within their land, farm or area, as such they have rights. Unfortunately for the country, they have ready market from middle men from within and outside Nigeria”, he said.

According to Oworu policy formulation must employ superior concepts and the application of innovative methods to attain set objectives that can effectively see the economy diversify into the solid minerals sector for survival and sustenance.

“Our laws and policy guidelines must be fully guided and enforced on all stakeholders to guarantee sustainability thereby enabling local and international investors implement long term plans that will protect their investments and ensure returns.”

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in his maiden media briefing said the government is poised to ensure the Nigerian economy depends on the metals and minerals sector.

“Our immediate priority now is to accelerate investor confidence in the mining markets, and get the sector growing and jobs created, and to do that within the context of the overall emerging strategy, we will be taking the following action to finalise market and technical diagnostic.

“Revenue generation; upgrading the Mining Cadastral Office and the Mines Inspectorate Directorate; automation, efficient review of overlapping and inactive titles, guaranteeing the integrity of mining licences, external audit of revenue receipts in the past years would be undertaken and the establishment of Mines Police and is in collaboration with the Nigerian Police.

“Finalise privatisation exercise; based on the recent update provided by the Bureau of Public Enterprises to the Ministry, an audit of privatised assets would be undertaken. Others are collection of geosciences data, capacity building, non-state actor engagement, regulation, formation of investment and business support team, and launch stakeholder communication,” he said.

It is imperative to mention that the government needs to appropriate and explore avenues and employ the services of professionals to make this lofty dream a reality and not to make the