Minister of Solid Minerals development, Oladele Alake, has disclosed that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to ensuring that the Solid Mineral sector becomes the biggest revenue generation hub of the nation.
Alake said, for the present administration to achieve on its vision of economic rejuvenation, all hands must be on deck.
“We have recognized the fortunes of the oil sector, and we are determined to ensure that the solid minerals sector is the Noah’s ark that would take us out of the deluge of economic challenges that Nigeria currently faces,” the minister stated this on Thursday.
Speaking during the 22 Annual General Meeting and International Conference of The Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers in Kaduna, the Minister enjoined all the stakeholders to be patriotic, saying that the president is determined to take the nation out of the woods.
Alake further explained that the seven- point agenda of the present administration is geared towards promoting the public private company that will galvanize financial and physical access of government in the sector.
” It is now that our country needs patriotic and scientific contributions than any other time, where all hands must be on deck to realize the vision of the Tinubu led administration, aiming at making solid mineral the biggest revenue generation hub among all sectors in the economic structure of Nigeria.
“I wish to enjoin your society to be seen and heard in this historic process of rejuvenation and resurgence of the sector that will mature hitherto; our doors are open to ideas and proposals, and we shall re-evaluate all of them and shall reflect with our professional alacrity,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Society of Engineers said that Public Private Partnership (PPP) concession will make the private sector concessionaire responsible for full delivery of specified production and infrastructure services.
“Government should intensify efforts in providing enabling environment to attract investors into the mining sector for PPP agreement especially as it concerns fully explored strategic mineral deposits,” the Society advised.
In its communique issued at the end of the AGM, the Society tasked the Federal Government on Public Private Partnership, while also urging government and private investors to ensure due diligence before consummating any form of agreement.
According to the communique, “government should make deliberate efforts in implementing established roadmaps to fast- track the development of minerals industry.”
In the communique jointly signed by the President and Secretary General of the Society, Eng. Benson Jatau and Engr. Tony Ojile, enjoined government to embrace PPP in its bids for industrial development in order to attract private expertise for service delivery enhancement.
The duo however, called on the ministry of solid minerals development to as a matter of urgency resolve the challenge of state interference with the Ministry statutory regulatory functions, as otherwise will erode the authority of the Minister and also has the tendency of driving away private mining investors.