By Gabriel Ewepu

THE Miners Association of Nigeria, MAN, has urged the Federal Government to fast track access of N50 billion mining intervention fund provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, by members of the association.

The call was made during the Annual General Meeting, AGM, of the association in Abuja. The National President, MAN, Alhaji Sani Shehu, in appraisal of the activities by the Executive Officers  said members of the association were still finding it difficult to access the fund via the commercial banks they approached as directed by the CBN.

He said: “The major goal identified by the executive  is the need to reposition the association as a major force to reckon with in matters relating to the Nigerian mining industry, both nationally and internationally.

“We also identified the need to search for the windows of opportunities to open up the frontiers of business growth and development for the teeming population of our members, who are mostly artisanal and small scale operators.

“On the N50 billion for mining intervention on the premise of export I appeal to the government to as commercial banks to fast-track the process for miners to access the fund without stress.

“Commercial banks are not committed to government’s vision for the sector. Our members after meeting the requirements access the fund are made to pass through many hurdles.

“Let the fund be given to development banks that are developmentally inclined for different sectors of the economy, like the Bank of Industry, Nigerian Export and Import Bank, NEXIM, and others, and not to commercial banks who are concerned with profit making.”

Shehu also assured government of MAN’s commitment to abide by provisions of the Explosives Act, as he denied any involvement of members in criminal use of explosives. “We are part of the committee that reviewed the Explosive Act, and we have done or work, and it has to be approved by the Federal, Executive Council, FEC, and once approved the Explosive Act will take care of the demands for explosives in small scale mining.

“But the mining company must have a magazine, and also involve the relevant security agencies in the process, and it will use registered and licensed explosive contractors that will access the explosives on behalf of the small scale mining company. These are all captured in the new Explosives Act to be approved by FEC.

“It is also important to state that there has never been a time any minister or government official mentioned that our members were not properly handling explosives. What happened was that an explosive dealer was traced to have connection with terrorists in one of the states in the Niger Delta.

“There was no time and instance a miner was incriminated for motive outside mining purposes, and that is clear,” he stated.

However, a miner from Zamfara State, Chairman, Shinkafi Investment Limited, Sani Shinkafi accused the federal government of not having the political will to develop the sector for the past one year after taking over power.

“Banks are not willing and ready to give loans to miners with the excuse that there is no mining desk in their bank, rather these banks are more interested in the sale of forex.

“Even the federal government after one year after taking over power has failed to show that political will to develop the sector. This is the time in our economic recession as a country to focus on the development of the sector as a way of coming out of it because of the huge potentials it has”, he said.