https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W23Qg3ZXznU


The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, yesterday kicked against the recent sale of gold bar by Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), saying the governor has no right to sell the mineral resources that belong to the federal government.

Omo-Agege who spoke during Senate plenary, while contributing to the general debate on 2021 budget, wondered why a state governor will have the audacity to sell gold bar to the apex bank.

According to him, the gold found in any state belongs to the federal government, adding that the revenue generated from such mineral resources like gold are to be shared among all the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said: “Not too long ago, we saw the Governor of Zamfara State come before the CBN to present a gold bar worth close to about N5billion. The gold bar was presented for sale to the CBN. Mr. President, our people are beginning to wonder who owns this gold that is being sold to the CBN.


“They don’t sell oil in any of the Niger Delta states. I am wondering why the governor of a state should be selling gold bar from Zamfara State to the CBN. There are two problems with that. We believe that whatever revenue that ought to come from that transaction belongs to the entire country and not to the state government. That is number one and we should actually look into that. That is an area we really need to develop. There is a lot of revenue that could come from there that will take the burden from these international borrowings.”


It will be recalled that Item 39 under the Exclusive Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) states that mines and minerals including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas are exclusively under the control of the federal government.

Also, the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007, which was passed into law on March 16, 2007, to repeal the Minerals and Mining Act, No. 34 of 1999 for the purposes of regulating the exploration and exploitation of solid materials in Nigeria vested the control of all properties and minerals in Nigeria in the state, and prohibits unauthorised exploration or exploitation of minerals.


The Act further stated that all lands in which minerals have been found in commercial quantities shall from the commencement of the Act be acquired by the federal government in accordance with the Land Use Act.

Commenting on the budget, Omo-Agege canvassed for sustainable peace in the Niger Delta region so that the daily oil output can be realisable.

He said: “For us to be able to achieve the 1.86million barrels per day, certain things must be in place. We must maintain the peace in the Niger Delta Region before we can achieve this. Mr. President, when I say this, it begins to sound like a broken record. Every day, for those of us who represent the Niger Delta, we hardly sleep. We are very worried about every concern because these people are the golden eggs that take care of this economy.


“But Mr. President, they are jobless. There is nothing for them to do. It is very important that the youths of these communities are engaged. The only way to engage these youths is for the oil companies, who explore oil in these communities in the Niger Delta that they help in creating jobs for the youths and the only way to do that is to have their business operations headquarters located within the Niger Delta.

“In the absence of this, you will have all the youths participating in this agitation against SARS. The only reason they are in the streets is because there are no jobs to engage them. Once again, I want to appeal that the oil companies doing businesses in this country should relocate their headquarters to the region”.

“They don’t sell oil in any of the Niger Delta states. I am wondering why the governor of a state should be selling gold bar from Zamfara State to the CBN. There are two problems with that. We believe that whatever revenue that ought to come from that transaction belongs to the entire country and not to the state government. That is number one and we should actually look into that. That is an area we really need to develop. There is a lot of revenue that could come from there that will take the burden from these international borrowings.”

It will be recalled that Item 39 under the Exclusive Legislative List of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) states that mines and minerals including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas are exclusively under the control of the federal government.

Also, the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007, which was passed into law on March 16, 2007, to repeal the Minerals and Mining Act, No. 34 of 1999 for the purposes of regulating the exploration and exploitation of solid materials in Nigeria vested the control of all properties and minerals in Nigeria in the state, and prohibits unauthorised exploration or exploitation of minerals.

The Act further stated that all lands in which minerals have been found in commercial quantities shall from the commencement of the Act be acquired by the federal government in accordance with the Land Use Act.

Commenting on the budget, Omo-Agege canvassed for sustainable peace in the Niger Delta region so that the daily oil output can be realisable.

He said: “For us to be able to achieve the 1.86million barrels per day, certain things must be in place. We must maintain the peace in the Niger Delta Region before we can achieve this. Mr. President, when I say this, it begins to sound like a broken record. Every day, for those of us who represent the Niger Delta, we hardly sleep. We are very worried about every concern because these people are the golden eggs that take care of this economy.

“But Mr. President, they are jobless. There is nothing for them to do. It is very important that the youths of these communities are engaged. The only way to engage these youths is for the oil companies, who explore oil in these communities in the Niger Delta that they help in creating jobs for the youths and the only way to do that is to have their business operations headquarters located within the Niger Delta.

“In the absence of this, you will have all the youths participating in this agitation against SARS. The only reason they are in the streets is because there are no jobs to engage them. Once again, I want to appeal that the oil companies doing businesses in this country should relocate their headquarters to the region”.

Source: https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2020/10/15/omo-agege-faults-zamfara-govs-sale-of-gold-to-cbn/amp/

They have mining the gold for years and the people in that region made billions from it and you guys just woke up. Far Northern states took other Nigerians for granted and southerners and middllebelt will only make noise and move on. Earlier we fight to separate better for us.

Zamfara State government has mining lisence from the FG as part of it IGR boost, Ondo also used to have Oil mining lisence till Mimiko sold it, same as Ameachi selling Rivers', Lagos State Government and Folawiyo Oil own Oil mining lisence and Oil wells


Zamfara should be praised.. Audio Seyi Makinde also made the promise during his campaign , he promised to get Mining lisence from Abuja and Build Oyo State Mining Agency to the standard of most mining company to boost the IGR,



.

But FG have claimed that the gold belongs to Nigeria not Zamfara state

K

The issue in not new,FG should do the right thing at the right time

Slave talk ... Senseless Southerners everywhere.

Oil in NigerD cannot be sold but mineral resources from the North can be sold to the government & government will pay the North with the profit realised from the sale of oil products...these Northerners we accuse of being primitive are using the heads of our so called "advanced" southern politicians...
South NEVER get sense.Our leaders are daft.

Niger Delta states need to wake up !

6

Food for thought for southern politicians.

TecM0:





Zamfara State government has mining lisence from the FG as part of it IGR boost, Ondo also used to have Oil mining lisence till Mimiko sold it, same as Ameachi selling Rivers', Lagos State Government and Folawiyo Oil own Oil mining lisence and Oil wells


Zamfara should be praised.. Audio Seyi Makinde also made the promise during his campaign , he promised to get Mining lisence from Abuja and Build Oyo State Mining Agency to the standard of most mining company to boost the IGR,



.

Would you sound this way if it was a Niger Delta state selling oil to the FG?

Seems the North wants resource control I believe that's part of restructuring and the South would oblige them.

God go bless omo agege for raising this issue, since the oil from south belongs to all Nigerians, the gold from North should also be shared by all Nigerians

helinues:
But FG have claimed that the gold belongs to Nigeria not Zamfara state

, southern Nigeria could have been better without the few Yoruba Muslims Miscreants (YMM) imagine MURIC be

TecM0:





Zamfara State government has mining lisence from the FG as part of it IGR boost, Ondo also used to have Oil mining lisence till Mimiko sold it, same as Ameachi selling Rivers', Lagos State Government and Folawiyo Oil own Oil mining lisence and Oil wells


Zamfara should be praised.. Audio Seyi Makinde also made the promise during his campaign , he promised to get Mining lisence from Abuja and Build Oyo State Mining Agency to the standard of most mining company to boost the IGR,



.

What's with all these lies.
Are you just seeking attention?

If Nigeria youth can sustain this for 4weeks
Ipob will come in
And any protester killed
They will pay with their life
Both police and military the revolution will start

Nigeria on auto pilot..

Our sophisticated brothers really did this.

Nigeriabiafra80:
If Nigeria youth can sustain this for 4weeks
Ipob will come in
And any protester killed
They will pay with their life
Both police and military the revolution will start

Spare us this IPOB talks pls

Ahamefuna0001:


Spare us this IPOB talks pls

Ipob talks are not for bastards

Nigeriabiafra80:

Ipob talks are not for bastards

No, they're for online/Internet warriors who has sold their sense of reasoning to Nnamdi Kanu.

For someone to believe Kanu to be a Messiah, his brains must have been filled with relaxer.

hmmm

Ahamefuna0001:


No, they're for online/Internet warriors who has sold their sense of reasoning to Nnamdi Kanu.

For someone to believe Kanu to be a Messiah, his brains must have been filled with relaxer.

no they are for offliners commenting online

Nigeriabiafra80:
no they are for offliners commenting online

Biko shift, I've got better things to do than engage with an Nnamdi Kanu asslicker..

Hmmm....we really need to shift our focus away from oil. There's need for a firm grip over the affairs of ministry of mineral resources if there's ever going to be anything meaningful coming from there.

Ahamefuna0001:


Biko shift, I've got better things to do than engage with an Nnamdi Kanu asslicker..

If hating kanu is the better thing
Better remain lazy