Month: June 2024

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, says plans are ongoing by the Federal Government to establish six mineral centres in the six geo-political zones.

According to Alake, the aim is to boost the sector.

Alake said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that the plan was part of the President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to diversify the country’s economy, by developing key sectors such as the solid minerals industry.

‘Another one is the creation of six mineral centres in each of the six geo-political zones.

‘We have our minerals all over the country and we cannot concentrate the mineral processing centres in one centre, and as we speak those plans are ongoing in the zones’, he said.

According to the Minister, the centres are also part of the government’s commitment to promote value addition to its minerals, aimed at facilitating multiplier effects on the economy.

NAN recalls that the minister had announced that no licenc
e would be granted to mining companies to operate without presenting a comprehensive plan for value addition such as processing and refining.

Alake said that investors in the past extracted raw mineral resources from Nigeria without adding value to them, which he described as a great loss to the country’s economy.

‘Lithium is one of the finest qualities in the world, and it has other associated minerals like nickel, cobalt, and copper.

‘So when an operator takes an ounce of our Lithium out of Nigeria, perhaps he declares Lithium.

‘But when he gets to his host country, he now has other associated minerals to his gain and to the loss of Nigeria.

‘So our major policy which we enacted is that, henceforth, we would no longer approve an application from an investor that does not show us a concrete plan for local value addition.

‘Which means processing here to add local value addition, and this will generate a multiplier effect like local employment, technology and skills transfer,’ he said.

He said that the
move was in line with plans to locally produce Electric Vehicle’s (EVs) batteries in Nigeria, whose major ingredient is Lithium.

‘Our objective here is to begin to produce EVs batteries with Lithium and other associated minerals, ‘ he said.

The Minister said that the local value addition policy had also been widely accepted by other African countries aimed at developing their local economies.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, says that plans are ongoing to increase the number of Mining Marshal Corps from 60 to 100.

The increase would be across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Alake said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

He said that the move was part of efforts of the Federal Government to secure the mining operating environment aimed at attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) to boost the economic profile of the country.

NAN reports that the Mining Marshal Corps inaugurated on March 21, were drawn from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to combat illegal mining.

The corps has 2,220 personnel, who have been specially trained by the military in modern warfare as a rapid response squad with 60 deployed across the 36 states and the FCT.

‘We are looking at adding to the number to get a minimum of 100 in each state from the 60 on ground,’ he said.

He said that the
President Bola Tinubu`s administration was determined to sanitise the mining sector and reposition it by putting in place policy measures to attract big players to the sector.

Alake said that prospective investors would need assurance of the security of the operating environment, their investment, equipment and personnel.

The minister said that the insecurity situation at mining sites across the federation prompted the president to establish an inter-ministerial committee on Jan.17.

He explained that the committee was to produce a blueprint for securing Nigeria’s natural resources, which consisted of mineral sites, marine economy and forests.

The minister, however, said that while deliberations were still on-going by the committee on producing a comprehensive security architecture for the natural resources, the mining marshal corps was established in the interim.

‘Insecurity is rife in the forests where the solid minerals are deposited.

‘The inter-ministerial efforts are ongoing as set up by the preside
nt but I couldn’t wait because of the criticality in curbing the illegality in the sector,’ he said.

He said that the initiative was yielding the desired results, as more than 200 suspects had been arrested, with 133 being prosecuted and two foreigners convicted for illegal operations.

According to him, many requests are being received from states for the deployment of marshals in areas identified as sites of illegal mining due to their success.

‘Every day, I receive requests from states asking for the deployment of these mining marshals to particular areas in their forests where they notice illegal operations going on.

‘And they have gone inside the forests, the operating field to arrest, more than 200 have been arrested, about 133 are being prosecuted right now in various courts across the various states of the country.

‘And recently, two foreign nationals were jailed, convicted of operating illegally in the mining sector in Nigeria’, he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Residents of Apo Resettlement Area in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) have decried the poor state of link roads and other social amenities in the area.

The residents, in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, said they always pass through a lot of difficulties accessing their homes.

The residents further said that accessing critical facilities such as schools and hospitals was also a major challenge due to lack of link roads.

Elder Babayinka Ojo, a resident of Apo, said that all link roads leading to the markets and some estates had remained inaccessible by both motorists and pedestrians over the years.

‘Our city roads are full of potholes some of which have become craters.

‘These potholes are hazardous to motorists and pedestrians alike as they increase the risk of accidents, falls and possible injuries.

‘Driving at night is incredibly challenging and unsafe because of the dreadful roads and dilapidated link roads.

‘The alternative road that is supposed to c
onnect Agaba Estate junction to Main Market to decongest the excess traffic leading to the market is not accessible to both motorists and pedestrians,’ he said.

He said that some abandoned structures in the area have been occupied by criminals and drug addicts who pose serious danger to the residents.

‘The Sen. Zephaniah Jisalo neighbourhood roads are an eyesore.

‘The worst is a cashew plantation in the area called Agwa TV, which Indian hemp smokers have turned to a ‘no go area’ between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily,’ he alleged.

Ojo said that the road linking Lokogoma, Apo Mechanic, Shoprite/burial ground was another death trap to motorists.

Another resident, Mrs Esther Ekong, appealed to the Minister of FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, to come to their aid by fixing the bad roads in the area.

Ekong urged the minister to use his office to assist the community by allocating funds for the construction of roads in the area.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

More than 97% of votes, or 22 677 of 23 292 voting districts, have been completed, according to the Electoral Commission’s 2024 National and Provincial Elections Results Dashboard.

As at 8:20am on Saturday, the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) results system showed that nationally, with votes being 97.39% complete, the African National Congress (ANC) had 40.11% of the votes, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA) with 21.72%. The uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK Party) follows with 14.83%, while the Economic Freedom Fighters are fourth with 9.37%.

Other party results making up the top 10 are as follows:

Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) – 3.96%;

Patriotic Alliance (PA) – 2.04%;

Freedom Front Plus – 1.36%;

Action SA – 1.16%;

African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) – 0.6%, and

United Democratic Movement (UDM) – 0.49%.

Vote capturing and validation continue.

Source: South African Government News Agency

The Global Transport Policy Champions (GTPC) says training of Lagos Police Traffic Officers will enhance effective traffic management and service delivery.

The GTPC Chairman and Chief Consultant, Dr Segun Musa,told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Friday that plans were on top gear to train Lagos Police Traffic Officers in June.

According to him, the training will expose participants to the new world order and global best practices in the traffic management sector.

The transport consultant noted that the session was the organisation’s intervention of its corporate social responsibility to improve transportation in the society and to make officers compliant to the needed change attitude.

Musa, who described transportation as critical to commerce and national growth, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that GTPC would expose officers to global best practices.

The theme of the training is ‘Improving Traffic Policing: Leveraging Emotional Intelligence Skills’.

According to him, global transpor
t policy is an innovative brand championing critical input on multimodal systems, structures, strategies and policies through trainings.

‘It is our resolve to adopt strategic collaborations and consultancy services with authoritatives to infuse compelling cross-cutting analysis to advance the system.

‘The session with the officers will improve their emotional intelligence capabilities to manage the motoring public,’ he said.

He pointed that a better traffic management, where road incidents that mostly claim lives could be reduced was achievable.

Earlier the organisation had paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Police Commissioner, Mr Adegoke Fayoade, to seal the arrangement for the training.

The Police commissioner expressed gratitude for the gesture, commending GTPC’s move to amplify the conversation on transport infrastructure and policy interventions.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring compliance with environmental standards by monitoring the operations of mining companies.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, stated this when he received the Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu in his office on Friday in Abuja.

Alake said that the move was aimed at sanitising the sector and repositioning it to boost the economic profile of the country.

He disclosed that the Federal Government and Enugu had agreed to set up the state’s Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO), to monitor mining companies’ compliance with environmental standards.

He said that the move would enhance the development of the mining sector in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MIREMCO is charged with overseeing the regulations of mining operations in a state.

This includes ensuring environmental standards to address land degradation, where minerals are extracted, and the sustainable and orderly developm
ent and management of mining resources.

The minister underscored the state’s significant contribution to Nigeria’s economy during the colonial era, and highlighted its potential for renewed economic growth through the development of solid minerals.

‘Now that we have our own independence of thought and action, Enugu is the way to go.

‘We are collaborating with Enugu and other states to ensure that the benefits accruable from the solid minerals sector are available to all Nigerians,’ he said.

On his part, the governor said that his administration was committed to harnessing Enugu’s vast mineral resources in partnership with the Federal Government.

Mbah thanked the minister for his accelerated actions to set up MIREMCO, which was critical to addressing the menace of illegal mining.

‘The minute the minister received my application on setting up MIREMCO, he immediately called the relevant officer and mandated him to ensure the process for the establishment of the committee is fast-tracked.

‘ We believe that
with the setting up of MIREMCO in Enugu, we will be able to curb the activities of illegal miners and those racketeering licenses,’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the minister recently held an interface with 32 governors to form a joint committee aimed at resolving mining issues, sanitising the sector, and attracting investors.

The move was part of the ministry’s efforts to seek the support of sub-national entities and engage them in ongoing efforts to reposition the sector.

Mbah’s visit was in furtherance of these engagements, aimed at creating a conducive environment for mining operations in the country to significantly contribute to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria