‘Form Mining Companies, Apply For Licences’- Alake Urges State Governors

The governors have advocated for stronger intergovernmental relations in coordinating the activities of the sector from licencing, surveillance, to operational safeguards.

By Friday Okeregbe
Updated May 17, 2024

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Oladele Alake, has called on state governors to establish mining companies and apply for licences.

This was revealed in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), held on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to the communiqué, Alake said the decision was reached on recent policies, institutional and operational reforms undertaken by the ministry, in harnessing the mining potentials of the country.

“He sought the cooperation of State governments in his drive to create an enabling business environment for investors, support artisanal and small-scale mining cooperatives, address illegal mining, and de-risk the sector. The Minister encouraged State Governments to form mining companies and apply for mining licences,” the statement read in part.

However, while the governors said they “welcomed the reforms”, they advocated for stronger intergovernmental relations in coordinating the activities of the sector from licencing, surveillance, to operational safeguards.

Alake’s call follows reports of ongoing illegal mining activities across the states of the federation.

Channels Television had recently, investigated the activities of illegal miners inside the premises of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), prompting an uproar from the school’s management and the public.

The minister had since inaugurated a security outfit to fish out perpetrators of illegal miners and bring them to book.

naptu2:
There is a lesson in this thread, but if you search through Twitter and check the thread, you'll notice that many people have not learnt the lesson.


First Lithium Processing Plant In Nigeria Under Construction In Kaduna.
https://www.nairaland.com/7523789/first-lithium-processing-plant-nigeria


This is the lesson:

There are many sectors in Nigeria that are in the exclusive list in the constitution. This means that they are the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government. For a long time many people assumed that this means that state governments cannot get involved in these sectors, but that is not true.

Bola Tinubu constantly demonstrated this when he was governor. There are many things that people assumed were only reserved for the Federal Government, but his government got involved in those things. Power generation, port construction, airport construction, refinery, etc.

You see, all the state government needs to do is to bring in a private/foreign company to invest in the sector and then they need to get a license from the Federal Government. The Federal Government wants to make money and they want development, so they will go along with the project (although in some rare cases they might sabotage the project, just like the AES Barge power project in Lagos).


Some people are asking why the oil in Rivers is for Nigeria while the lithium in Kaduna is for Kaduna. Well, read this article, the chairman of the Kaduna Internal Revenue Service stated clearly that mining is on the exclusive list and the only way that Kaduna State can take part in mining lithium is to set up a mining company and get a license from the Federal Government. Has the Rivers State Government set up an oil company and applied to get mining licenses from the Federal Government?

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/11/kaduna-govt-set-to-explore-revenue-potential-of-solid-minerals/


This issue keeps coming up every time and the answer is always the same. People asked the same question when it was announced that a gold refinery was being established in Osun and the answer then was exactly the same.

Nancy6gok:
policy na

tutudesz:

If they can register transport companies, they can also register oil companies too.
They can own petrol station or refineries

emkz:
Yes.

It beats me that governments are always looking for foreign investors to mine their minerals.

Even locals can do artisinal mining. Find a way to make it large scale and ensure health and safety. Hire consultants if need be. But never allow foreign companies mine those assets alone.

State governmentsand religious too need to stop allowing Chinese access to our security resources.