By SUNDAY ABBA, Abuja
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Oladele Alake has affirmed that the decision of the federal government to diversify from hydrocarbon to making the minerals sector major contributor to Nigeria’s gross domestic product, GDP is her contribution to climate change.
Dr Alake dropped this hint when he received a delegation of the Miners Association of Nigeria, led by their National President, Mr Dele Ayanleke.
The delegation comprised representatives of the VUKA group, co- organiser of the forthcoming Nigerian Mining Week and Price Waterhouse Coopers, PWC, foremost accounting firm, a statement signed by the head of Press and PR in the ministry, Alaba Balogun, said.
While commending the Association for it’s recommendations and consistent role in organising the Mining Week; Dr Alake said Nigeria has been operating mono- cultural economy for long, noting that the shift to solid minerals is long 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, the Minister emphasised that the ministry is committed to making requisite policies that will 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, Dr Alake stressed that the federal government, will engage the state and local governments with a view to resolving surrounding issues within the ambit of the law.
Speaking on securing the mining sector environment for maximum yield to the government, the Minister said high end technology will be deployed, coupled with inter-agency taskforce to arrest the menace completely.
He therefore, sought the partnership with the MAN to strengthen capacity in this regard for the growth and repositioning of the sector.
In his earlier remarks, the National President of Miners Association of Nigeria, Mr Dele Ayanleke, gave assurance that the seven point agenda unfolded by the Minister under the Renewed Hope agenda of the present administration will consolidate and enhance the sector for maximum contribution to national development.