10 months ago
54 ARTICLE AD
The Senator representing Akwa Ibom South senatorial district at the National Assembly, Senator Ekong Sampson, has said the activities of illegal miners are fueling serious security threats across the country.
He also stated that Nigerians were collaborating with their foreign elements to defraud the nation of it mining resources.
In a statement by his Media Aide, Mr Samuel Udoma, on Tuesday, the senator vowed to intensify investigations into the sector in the interest of the country.
Sampson, who is the Chairman, the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, said reviewing and streamlining mining activities would reposition the solid minerals sector
The Senate had, through resolutions at plenary, late last year mandated the Solid Minerals Committee to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the dwindling revenue derivable from solid minerals development in the country, review activities of policy administrators, policy executors, and industry players, policy execution, and downstream, midstream and upstream operations of the solid minerals sector.
The committee was also mandated to ascertain the extent and impact of illegal mining activities and the extent of the complicity of both local and expatriate industry players as well as review all the Bureau of Public Enterprise privatisation or commercialisation programs of all mining and mineral resources related programs from 1999 – till date.
“The Senate condemned seriously the attitude of some Nigerians who collude with unscrupulous foreign elements to rip the country of its mineral wealth, without the corresponding accruals to national revenue.
“The Senate is also alarmed at the security problems posed by illegal mining in the country and has vowed to intensify investigations into the management of the sector, in the interest of the country.
“We will continue to intensify efforts aimed at reviewing and streamlining mining activities in order to reposition the solid minerals sector,” the statement said.
The committee chairman who lamented that the recent Ibadan explosion was caused by irresponsible and illegal mining behavior, said the disjointed mining operations have become a new cause of insecurity concerns in the country, with threats to loss of lives and property.
He pledged his committee’s resolve to stamp out illegal mining and look into the extant Mining Act, to review through proper legislation, in line with best practices.
Senator Sampson equally condemned the behavior of some industry players in the mining sector, who disregarded the committee’s invitations, with some even threatening legal actions, once they were invited for interactions.
He warned that the Senate would not be fettered in its investigations, despite petitions by some of these operators.
The Akwa Ibom South Senator also hinted at plans to hold regular roundtable discussions with relevant agencies, experts, industry players, artisanal miners, and other stakeholders to further compare notes on how best to reposition operations in the sector.
