Ekiti, Ebonyi, Taraba Richly Endow in Minerals Resources - Centre LSD Reports

By Aviashima Toom

The African Centre for Lerdership, Strategic and Development, has unveiled it's publication of the Research on Solid Mineral Development in Nigeria.

Executive Director, Centre LSD, Monday Osasah, who presented the publication on Tuesday in Abuja said that, the research paper as evidence from Ebony, Ekiti and Taraba states were chosen because of their respective high solid minerals' endowment, and current mining activities.

According to him, the reports collectively represent solid minerals spread across the federation, and serve as yerds tickets to determine actions of stakeholders in the sector and what might be responsible for the abysmal performance of the solid minerals sector in the country.

The Executive Director also noted key findings of the study amongst others he stated were, Regulations around minerals sales largely unobserved as miners tend to sell minerals outside of the official minerals market's institutional framework.

'That most artisanal miner do not obey the environmental Regulations, which has led to degradation, erosion, and excessive pollution, amongst other adverse effects.

'That most of the artisanal miners in Taraba and Ebonyi states operats without a mining license while those in Ekiti state either have mining license or operating through cooperative permit. 

He urged the Federal Government to streamline mining fees the states to improve confidence in supervisory institution, stating that returns from mining fees should be used to improve the operational environment to enable industry development.

Highlight of event was inforgrahic summary on Solid Mineral Development in Nigeria by Dr. Ben. Nwosu, who stressed on the long neglect of the sector, despite solid mineral abundance, comes at a cost such as deprived alternative sources of energy sources employment generation, investment opportunities, foreign exchange, and tax revenues.

He said, there should be a need for community capacity building to strengthen the ability if mining communities to relate with mining invsetor and manage stakeholders interest within the community in a manner that produce desired results or outcomes from the CDAs.

Nwosu also said that government should also do more in terms if public good provisioning for the miners and the mining communities, and also esterblished a one- stop- shop minerals buying centers where minerals can be bought and sold and at a reasonable price.