• FG unveil plans to boost Mining Marshals’ capacity

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has warned that hard times await illegal miners in the country, as the federal government is poised to boost the capacity of the Mining Marshals

Alake dropped the impending doom on illegal miners through his Special Adviser, Hon. Kehinde Bamigbetan, while addressing participants of Course 34 of the Nigerian Defence College, Abuja, on the assessment of the solid minerals value chain and the impact on economic growth.

Unveiling government plans to boost the capacity of the Mining Marshals, the Minister applauded the special intervention outfit for living up to their mandate of providing an enforcement agency for the sector.

The Minister said scaling up the logistical strength in terms of vehicles, 6 weaponries will power the expansion of the agency’s operations to the 774 local governments and improve the security of mines and miners.

He cited the reclamation of 90 sites from bandits and illegal miners, prosecution of over 300 suspects and monitoring of 450 sites threatened by illegal mining as part of the modest achievements of the Marshals within the space of one year.

Responding to concerns over inter-agency rivalry with the Mining Marshals, Alake appreciated other military and security agencies, such as the Nigerian Army and Police, for the smooth collaboration that has enabled the Marshals to excel.

He then highlighted the value chain of the solid minerals sector, which, according to him, includes licensing, exploration, community engagement, extraction, processing, and sales.

He said the Seven-Point Agenda, the roadmap he (Alake) introduced as minister, has added value to the sector’s value chain by sanitising the sector and blocking financial leakages.

On the revenue drive of the ministry, Alake said from N6billion in 2022, to N12 billion in 2024 and currently at N26 billion as of October this year, attributing the successes recorded to the raising of the bar of compliance with the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act.

He said over 3,700 titles have been revoked for failing to pay annual service fees and failing to mine in line with the use-or-lose principle, adding that companies have been warned to comply with the Community Development Agreement and meet environmental obligations.

To further position the sector for international competitiveness, Alake said the establishment of the Nigeria Solid Minerals Company has opened the door to investors ready for joint ventures.

The Director, Information, Communications and Technology of the Nigerian Defence College, Air Commodore Olushola Oluokun, while responding on behalf of the participants, thanked the minister for the enlightening lecture which shed light on various subjects being studied by participants. (The Nation)