Among other things, President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday said his administration is concerned with improving agriculture and attracting investors to the mining sector.
Dr Kayode Fayemi, Nigeria’s minister of solid minerals development, disclosed this during a meeting with Matthew Neuhaus, the Australian foreign affairs assistant secretary (African branch), in Abuja on Wednesday, June 22, 2016. Fayemi said whereas his ministry was working with that of the environment on the environmental safety, it believed that partnering with Australia, with its hugely successful mining sector, would help the Nigerian government’s quest for safer mining practice. “The government takes the issue of environmental safety seriously, because the health and well-being of the people are of paramount interest to us.” he said.
The minister stated that about 80 percent of mining activities in the country were being carried out by artisanal miners, hence the concern of the ministry on the need to organise them, ensure their safety and the safety of the environment.
“Owing to Australia’s long experience in mining, we want to share your success story,” the minister added.
Other areas of assistance, according to Dr Fayemi include the need to get the ministry’s laboratory, the National Geosciences Research Laboratories in Kaduna, certificated. Fayemi decried the situation where mineral samples from the country had to be taken to laboratories outside the country for necessary tests and certification. He said it was time the Kaduna laboratories got international certification so that it could live up to its billing as the foremost geo-science laboratory in the country. Responding, Neuhaus said his team would liaise with the officials of the solid minerals development ministry to work out arrangements aimed at realising the two requests.
The restated the commitment of the Australian government towards ensuring that Nigeria takes its position as a mining destination. He also lauded the commitment of the present administration to diversify the economy. Speaking further, Fayemi assured the envoy that corruption and insecurity are being tackled by the President Buhari administration in the process of rebuilding the economy.
“There is a link between corruption and insecurity. All these are being corrected as we rebuild the economy. “And we are optimistic the economy would be better for it”, Fayemi stressed.
EmoticonEmoticon