The Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development and the governors of Enugu and Ebonyi States have stressed the need for collaboration between the federal and state governments to effectively and profitably harness the vast potential available in the nation’s solid minerals sector.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Senator Ekong Sampson, the governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, and his Ebonyi State counterpart, Francis Nwifuru, made the call separately when the Senate Committee paid them courtesy visits in their offices in Enugu and Abakaliki, respectively.
The chairman and members of the legislative Committee visited the two states to discuss oversight activities at mining sites.
Other members of the committee during the visits included the Vice Chairman, Senator Kabeeb Mustapha, Deputy Majority Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, Senator Anthony Ani, Senator Kelvin Chukwu, Senator Diket Plang and Senator Okechukwu Ezea.
Senator Sampson 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 around some mining sites to see how we can deepen the policies about mining in this country.
“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 around some mining sites, forming a welter of recommendations that we will make to the Senate.
“The solid minerals sector is one sector that will help drive Nigeria’s economy. We have depended a lot on oil, and it is time 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 must look beyond oil, and the federal government, ably led by our dear President, through our renewed hope agenda, is taking the sector seriously.
Appropriating N1 Trillion in the 2025 budget signals the government’s roadmap for the sector.
“So there has been a clear departure from the past and a solemn 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 further explore the vast 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 to drive the mining sector meaningfully, there must be cooperation between 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 must 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.”
For his part, the governor of Enugu state, Peter Mbah, noted that the country is sitting on vast wealth, but sometimes struggles to access it.
“I also think this committee’s task is of utmost importance,” he said. “It’s a critical task because solid minerals hold a huge economic opportunity for this country, particularly when discussing economic diversification.”
He added: “I think 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 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 critical to the entire country.
“And then, of course, the collaboration. I believe that if we collaborate with you. Then you can have technical sections with us, and maybe we can even talk about part of the significant challenge in exploring the mining sector or the solid mineral sector fully, which is the lack of data. Then, when you have them, they are either obsolete or not current; even when they are current, they are not enough to make investment decisions.
“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 the corresponding benefit, we can invest or attract big companies that would invest in the mining or the solid mineral sector.”
Earlier, on Monday, while receiving the Committee in Abakaliki on behalf of Governor Francis Nwifuru, his deputy, Princess Patricia Obila, said the state was ready to partner with the Senate and the Federal Government to ensure that solid minerals are safely mined and beneficial to Nigerians at all levels.
Obila said, “Here in Ebonyi State, we still have much to do regarding the solid minerals ministry. We have many untapped mineral deposits in our area, and for you to come to Ebonyi State is commendable.
“We are highly determined and committed to having a good synergy because we need to tap all these resources. When they are fully tapped, it will increase our Internally Generated Revenue and 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 need your cooperation.”
