The Federal government says it will no longer tolerant activities of economic saboteurs in the mining sectors.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu stated this at the ongoing African Natural Resource and Energy Summit 2023 in Abuja.The president represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume listed the bottle necks in the mining processes to include indiscriminate and illegal mining, sharp practices in the licencing process and assured investors of a business-friendly environment to ease their activities.He explained that a new security architecture had already been put in place to ensure an industrial sector that would be the envy of the world and advised saboteurs to desist or face the full wrath of the law.“let me assure you that these difficulties to ease of doing business in this sector are being tackled by our administration. a new sheriff is in town and the status quo shall no longer be the same. let me declare that those responsible for the state of affairs are advised to change or they will be changed” he said. The Minister of the Solid Minerals Development Dr Dele Alake said the theme of the summit “Towards a Just Transition.” was apt as globally, the energy landscape was undergoing transformation and the move to combat climate change towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources was imperative.Dr Alake urged participants to take advantage of the Summit to explore innovative technologies and financing mechanisms for the responsible development of the country’s endowed resources.“we aim to ensure that the benefits of our resource wealth are distributed fairly among our people and that we are responsible to make the best use of natural resources and ensure the acquittal of sustainable environment for the upcoming generations “.Speaking on the topic’ Exploring Foreign Exchange Earnings, Job Creation and Electricity Generation through Mining, the Chairman, MOSRA Energy and partners of the summit Mr Olukayode Ramos said the country must begin to explore its coal reserves as it had provided consumers with affordable power and stimulate the economy.He explained that a report on the study of the Nigeria Coal Resource contracted by the ministry of solid minerals Development to an American consulting firm, recommended the appropriate utilization of Kogi, Benue, Enugu and Delta mining district to revitalize the country’s coal industry and develop coal power plant to meet Nigeria’s plan for reliable and inexpensive electricity.The keynote speaker and Minister of Environment Balarebe Abbas who spoke on Nigeria’s role in the transition in Africa and globally emphasized that to achieve the ‘Just Energy Transition’ that was based on modern technological application, all hand must be on deck to ensure the environment was not threatened.
