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Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has called for the peaceful coexistence among mining firms in Nasarawa Local Government of Nasarawa State.
The Minister made the call on Friday after holding a meeting with Governor Abdullahi Sule and members of his cabinet at the Government House, Lafia, the state capital.
Alake who was represented by the Director General, Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office, Obadiah Nkom, emphasised the importance of resolving all the standing disagreements among mining firms in the state before the commencement of the sixth National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources billed for November in the state.
While noting that a peaceful and stable environment was essential for attracting and sustaining investment in the solid minerals sector, the Minister expressed confidence in Nasarawa state’s ability to host a successful and impactful event, given its strategic importance in Nigeria’s mining landscape.
He explained that the choice of Nasarawa state was because of the commitment and contributions of the state government towards mining activities in the past years.
Alake further explained that the forthcoming meeting in November had been structured into two sessions namely Technical and Executive to allow for positive deliberations that would take the mining and mineral resources sectors to greater heights.
“The Council for Mining and Mineral Resources Development is an initiative of the Federal Executive Council to serve as a prime consultative platform for all stakeholders in the mining industry to engage with the ministry.
“The council is the highest decision-making body on policy matters on mining and mineral resources development. I would therefore, like to thank the Nasarawa State government for the approval given to hold the meeting in the state,” he added.
On his part, Governor Sule expressed his gratitude to the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development for choosing the state to host the sixth National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources meeting.
He thanked the ministry for its efforts towards resolving the lingering disagreements between two mining firms and the state government.
The governor further drew the attention of the Minister to the huge untapped mineral deposits in the Kokona and Keana LGAs of the state, and urged the federal government to look into the matter with a view to exploring the minerals.
Earlier in his speech, the state Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Yakubu Kwanta while welcoming the Minister and his entourage to the state, assured of the state government’s commitment to continue to support the initiatives of the federal government aimed at improving the mining and mineral resources sectors in the country.
Our correspondent reports that the delegation brought with them a letter from the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development which detailed specific recommendations for addressing the conflicts based on findings from a committee’s report.
