The Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development has urged governors to deepen collaboration with the Federal Government and the National Assembly to effectively harness the vast potential in solid minerals sector in Nigeria
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Senator Ekong Sampson, gave the admonition when his committee paid courtesy visits to Peter Mbah and Francis Nwifuru, Governors of Enugu and Ebonyi states
Senator Samson, in company with members of his Committee, were in the two southeast states, as part of their oversight activities at mining sites in the country.
He noted that the visits were to carry out the mandate of the 10th Senate to look at mining potentials in order to initiate legislative interventions to develop them.
He said:”On behalf of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, we are here further to our oversight. We were in Ebonyi state, where we went round some mining sites, to see how we can deepen the policies about mining in this
“We are here further to the mandate the Senate gave us to go round this country, and see how we can deepen the policies about mining in this country.
“So we have come here to compare notes and then to go round some mining sites, form a welter of recommendations which we are going to make to the Senate.
“We have depended a lot on oil, and it is time for us to look beyond oil and the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We will eliminate a lot of oil. We still feel that we have to look beyond oil and the federal government, ably led by our dear President, through our renewed hope agenda, is taking the sector very seriously.
“Appropriating the sum of N1trillion in the 2025 budget, clearly signposts a roadmap that the government has for the sector.
“So there has been a clear departure from the past and a very serious commitment that the government is bringing to bear to help drive this sector at this time so that we can deepen the plans of our economy.
“These visits have been designed to interface with the stakeholders. We did that in Ebonyi yesterday. Today we are here.
“We also intend to go around some mining sites, see things for ourselves and explore further the huge opportunities that the sector presents for your state.
“Truly, we are committed to a partnership that will further drive the prospects for our people. This is a movement of the renewed hope agenda of the President.
“These are also times for collaboration. We’ve noted that for us to meaningfully drive the mining sector, there has to be a level of collaboration among the entire government. No level of government can go it alone if we are to harness the full potential for mining in the country.
“The centre has to work with the states and the states, of course, have to work with the locals. There must be a synergy that’s winning. Because the sector is full of potential, it’s full of endowments, and we can maximise the advantage.”
While welcoming the lawmakers, Governor Peter Mbah commended the National Assembly for its initiative to boost diversification of the economy by seeking an enabling environment for the mining sector to thrive.
“I also think that this committee’s task is of utmost importance.
“It’s a very important task because solid minerals hold a huge economic opportunity for this country, particularly when we think or talk about economic diversification.
“I think that we do not have any sector that holds the potential as much as the solid minerals’ sector does, and somehow, it appears we are suffering from the tragedy of the commons.
“So I think that with the review of the Mining Act that is ongoing, I’m sure that you would ensure that
there’s a lot of more state inclusion, more state participation in the exploration or exploitation of solid minerals because I think both for the national and the sub-national, it holds very huge potential. So this is why your committee is of immense importance to the entire country.
“And then, of course, the collaboration. I believe that if we collaborate with you and then you will be able to maybe even have technical sections with us.
“Part of the major challenge in even exploring fully the mining sector or the solid mineral sector is a lack of data and then when you have them, they are either obsolete or not current and even when they are current, they are not enough for one to make investment decisions with.
“So that is why I talked about the tragedy of the commons, because if there is a clear line of responsibility and one understands clearly what the corresponding benefit is, then we are able to invest or to attract big companies that would invest in the mining or in the solid minerals in Nigeria”
Earlier, while receiving the Committee in Abakaliki on Monday, Ebonyi Deputy Governor, Princess Patricia Obila, who hosted the Committee on behalf of his principal, Governor Nwifuru, his deputy, Princess Patricia Obila, said the state was ready to sustain the partnership with the Senate and the Federal Government to tap the resources to boost its Internally Generated Revenue
She said:” Here in Ebonyi State, we still have a lot to be done as regards the solid minerals ministry. We have a lot of mineral deposits untapped in our area and for you to come to Ebonyi State, it is commendable.
“We are highly determined and committed to having a good synergy because we need to tap all these resources and when all of them are fully tapped, it will not only increase our Internally Generated Revenue, it will also help the state.
“Not just the state alone, we will pay our royalties to the federal government and by the time you know it, everybody will benefit. So we really need your cooperation.”
Other members of the committee during the visits included the Vice Chairman, Senator Kabeeb Mustapha, Deputy Majority Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, Senate Anthony Ani, Senator Kelvin Chukwu, Senator Diket Plang and Senator Okechukwu Ezea
