Oladele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development has charged staff of the ministry to be proactive to achieve the programmes and projects promised by Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the Renewed Hope Agenda
Speaking at the Step-Down Retreat with staff of the Ministry with the theme“Delivering on the Eight Presidential Priorities” currently ongoing in Abuja, he said “The goal of the Retreat was to discuss ways to deliver on the priority areas set by, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
According to Alake “This theme is self-explanatory as I noticed that the Ministry’s Deliverables falls under Priority Area four (4) which is to “Unlock Energy and Natural Resources for Sustainable Development”
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Seven Point Agenda comprises the establishment of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation, Gathering Nationwide Geological Data to De-Risk Investment, Securing the Mining Environment through the establishment of Mines Police now known as Mining Marshals, Combatting Illegal Mining through Co-operatives and law enforcement, Marketing our solid minerals to attract Foreign Direct Investment, Value Addition through policies which promoting process of raw minerals and Community Empowerment through remediation, Community Development Agreement
The Minister said the importance of delivering on this priority area cannot be over-emphasized as the Nigerian Economy needs rapid economic growth through the Solid Mineral Sector, Given the limitless value this sector can provide, I believe with the efforts of everyone in this room, the Nigerian Economy can be positively catalyzed.
Alake in his remarks appreciated the leadership of the Committee of Solid Minerals Development at the Red and Green chambers, saying they have demonstrated to the Nigerian people that the Solid Minerals Development Public Policy team is one family. We shall continue to count on you in the days ahead as we engage or are engaged by various committees of the National Assembly.
Also congratulating investors, he said “On this note, let me congratulate local and foreign investors in the Solid Minerals Sector whose doggedness and enthusiasm inspire so much hope and faith that the Agenda we are implementing shall be a roaring success. We, as regulatory agencies and investment facilitators, shall always balance both roles in making sure that we make it easy for your business to achieve profitability beyond your expectations” he added.
In her remarks, Mary Ogbe, the permanent secretary to the ministry said the solid minerals sector in recent years is witnessing significant strides.
According to Ogbe “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
In line with these priorities, our Ministry is committed to exploring and exposing the immense potential of the solid minerals sector to national development. Through sustainable and responsible mining practices, we aim to harness the rich mineral resources of our country to drive economic growth, job creation, and industrialization.
While expressing her appreciation to the President, for his unwavering commitment to the development of Nigeria, she said his visionary leadership had set them on a path of progress and prosperity” She also thanked Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Dele Alake for his proactiveness in ensuring that Solid Mineral’s sector makes a positive impact in the economy.
She further urged participants at the retreat to make the most of it by sharing collaborating, and learning from one another to formulate actionable plans that will contribute to the achievement of their shared goals.
