From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake said that the ministry is working tirelessly to ensure that Nigeria is made the destination point for solid minerals globally.
The Minister made this disclosure at the Ministerial step-down retreat organized by the Ministry in Abuja, yesterday.
Dr Alake explained that there is no single point among the eight points agenda of president Bola Tinubu’s administration that the ministry has not made significant progress on.
“There is not a single point in that eight points agenda that we have not made significant achievement in. Some we have practically just achieved with a span of the few months.
“The one that is still in the work is the bill on Nigerian Minerals mining cooperation which we want to set up,that is because it has legislative process to go through but those ones that are within our own executive,we have made very remarkable progress in them” he added
“I can say in all sense of honesty that we have been successful in achieving our set objectives to a very large degree but we still have to do more so that we can put the solid minerals sector among those that contribute meaningfully to the Gross Domestic. To make Nigeria the destination point for solid minerals not just in Africa but globally” the Minister emphasized.
Speaking on the staff attitude to work,he appreciated them but urged them to put in more “am very happy with the staff and their attributes to work,all I’m just saying is to wish that they improve, which is a normal wish.
On his part, the Chairman Senate committee on Solid minerals, Sampson Ekong who was represented by his deputy, Mustapha Kabiru who pleged maxmium Legislative support towards the ministry stressed that the time has come for the nation to utilised the Solid Minerals to turn around the fortune of the country.
“I am glad at the energy and interest the Minister is putting in the sector because the nation is blessed with Minerals Resources all over the nation, so what is lacking is for us to synergize, organize and exploit this Minerals to our advantage of our country “he stressed.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman house committee on Solid Minerals, Jonathan Gbefwi emphasized that it is time the nation utilised her assets to bring industrialization and human capital development
“This treat is apt because we will harmonized our collective expertise and interests, am confident that this retreat will truthful and bear sustainable solutions in ensuring that policies, legislations, regulations and industry actors extract more and that the value extracted will improve the life of Nigerians” he added.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, the permanent secretary, Dr Mary Ogbe said that despite witnessing significant strides in the Solid Minerals ministry,there are still lots that needs to be done.
Dr Ogbe urged participants in the retreat to actively engage in fruitful discussions, share valuable insights, and propose innovative ideas that will in overcoming the challenges hindering the growth of the solid minerals sector.
“Over the years, we have witnessed significant strides in the solid minerals sector. However, we acknowledge that there is still much to be done. This retreat therefore serves as an opportunity for us to critically assess our progress, identify areas of improvement, and strategize on how best to achieve our objectives in making the solid minerals sector the catalyst for economic diversification, she added.