…Fund to facilitate development of sector
10 May 2017, Sweetcrude, aBUJA The Acting Secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, Hajiya Hadiza Goni, has announced Federal Government’s release of N30 billion to facilitate the development of the solid minerals sector and boost the nation’s growth.
Hajiya Goni made this disclosure to newsmen in Sokoto.
According to her, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had given priority attention to the diversification of the economy.
“The discovery of oil in commercial quantity in Nigeria made the mining sector the mainstay of the economy and oil the major revenue earner of the country.
“Unfortunately, in the approximately 45-year decline of the country’s mining sector, we have been unable to articulate a framework upon which the sector would viably stand and operate.
“We have, as such, missed out various opportunities to capitalise on the up-surging of the commodity process” Goni stated
She maintained that the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel had, however, identified 45 solid minerals types across the 36 states of the federation.
The Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, in a message expressed the determination of the State Government to develop the mineral sector in the state.
In the message, read by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Bashir Garba. Tambuwal said: “Even more important than oil, we were getting revenue from coal which is also a solid mineral.
“But we have abandoned the huge deposits of coal since the discovery of oil.
“There are countries that still rely on solid minerals for their survival, in spite of oil. An example is Copper in Tunisia”.
He assured that the state would collaborate with the Federal Government to exploit solid minerals in Sokoto State.
