Posted by By Olamilekan Lartey, Benin on
About one million Nigerians are currently engaged in the mining of solid minerals in different parts of the country.....
About one million Nigerians are currently engaged in the mining of solid minerals in different parts of the country.
Apart from this, three million others depend directly or indirectly on the industry for their livelihood.
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development revealed this at a meeting of stakeholders in the industry in Benin, the Edo State capital on Thursday.
The Deputy-Director in the Artisan and Small Scale Mining Department of the ministry, Mr. Olusegun Oladipo, said apart from creating employment for so many Nigerians, mining had generated foreign exchange for the country.
Specifically, Oladipo said ASSM had been responsible for the production of the bulk of the industrial output such as gem stones, precious and non-precious metallic minerals.
He said most of the new deposits discovered in different parts of the country could be attributed to the ASSM.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Prof. Leslie Obiora, who was at the parley, said her ministry decided on the meeting as a way of encouraging and sustaining the interest of stakeholders in industry.
Obiora said she would carry out and improve on the reforms initiated by her predecessor, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, who is now the education minister.
A director in charge of environment in the ministry, Dr. Ihuoma Eke, told the stakeholders that the experiences of the Niger Delta must not be replicated in their areas of operation.
She urged them to present environmental impact assessments of their fields on the host communities in order to avoid friction or conflicts.
The Edo State Governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, said the state would assist miners in every way possible to develop the sector.
Represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Mr. Godwin Eshieshie, the governor said the countries of the world were now diversifying from oil to solid minerals.