Alake to Reps: Powerful Nigerians involved in illegal mining, banditry, terrorism

Dele Alake, the minister of solid mineral on Tuesday alleged that powerful Nigerians who are involved in illegal mining are the ones sponsoring banditry and terrorism in the country.

According to the Minister, those powerful people behind terrorists are now being identified by the ministry with both kinetic and non-kinetic means through the cooperation of the petty illegal miners.

Alake also said that for mining to generate the requisite revenue, there’s a need to have a formal structure that the multinational could deal with, just like the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd.

The minister raised the alarm when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals for the 2024 budget defence, Tuesday . He informed the committee that a lot of banditry and terrorism are sponsored by illegal miners, saying they are not people who pick gold on the ground but powerful individuals in the country.

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Rallies committee on solid minerals for support

He maintained that the conservative amount of minerals deposited in the country is over 700 billion dollars, urging the Chairman of the committee to support the process to change mining in the country.

He continues to opined that the majority of the illegal miners were not foreigners but added that foreigners could be seen as symptoms, stressing that most disturbing aspect was that most of the foreigners engaged in illegal mining in the country had no proper immigration.

Alake explained that the approach of the ministry under his leadership would be different from NNPCL, adding that the structure being proposed for Nigeria Mining Cooperation would be primarily private sector-driven.

“Nigeria will also have its equity, adding that this would mean that no government after could destabilize the structure. The host communities where mining activities take place across the country would be engaged to forestall the breakdown of laws and orders.

“If we are given that amount of money, I can tell you that what the ministry will contribute will outweigh other ministries, including what we are deriving from oil.

“We can return trillions to the coffers of this country as revenue if we are given such a budget as proposed,” he said.

He pleaded with the committee to consider the amount budgeted for the ministry in the 2024 budget proposal.

Solid mineral, last hope of achieving diversity — Gbefwi

Earlier, Rep. Gaza Gbefwi, the Committee Chairman said the solid minerals sector remained the last hope for the country to attain the level of diversity it required, saying funds appropriated to the sector in the 2024 budget were grossly inadequate as the committee has taken proactive steps to put up motions and bills that would strengthen and reorganize the sector.

Similarly, Reps Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), on Tuesday affirmed the need for continuous scrutiny and refinement of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to ensure it is attuned to the evolving dynamics of the global energy landscape and the specificities of the Nigerian context.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Committee, Ado-Doguwa informed that the Committee have the mandate to meticulously review and amend the Act, ensuring it is robust, forward-looking, and reflective of best practices.

He said the true measure of legislation is not in its passage but in its execution and adaptability and called for the collaboration of all stakeholders within the industry to drive the development of the sector.

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“The enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act by the 9th Assembly was a watershed moment, signaling a new dawn of reform intended to revitalize an industry that is the lifeblood of our economy.

“As we embark on this journey, I am buoyed by the knowledge of your expertise, your passion for service, and your dedication to our nation’s welfare. The challenges before us are indeed formidable, but they are not insurmountable. With a shared vision and a synergy of efforts, we can and will institute transformative changes that will resonate through the industry and across the fabric of our society.

“Let us march forward with determination and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Together, we are poised to redefine the narrative of our petroleum sector and chart a course towards a future replete with prosperity, stability, and opportunity for all Nigerians,” he said.

“In recognizing the interdependent nature of our work, we have proactively engaged with the leadership and administrative officers of our allied committees, those focusing on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Petroleum Resources (Midstream), and Gas.

“This strategic collaboration is the cornerstone upon which we will build a cohesive and comprehensive approach to the multifaceted challenges and opportunities within the oil and gas sectors.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has expressed concern over the devastating effects of environmental degradation on Nigerians which include Flood, pollution, erosion, deforestation, and all kinds of disaster increasing as the years go.

This is even as the Lawmakers stressed the need for immediate, transformational changes in every sector to address the challenges and also to developed an effective and efficient law to address all kind of environmental education in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Julius Pondi who stated this during the inaugural meeting of members of the committee called for urgent steps to be taken to forestall further degradation of the environment in the country.

Pondi lamented against negative effect of environmental pollution while promising to legislate and amend certain aspect of laws for the betterment of all Nigerians and the Country.

He pledged that the Committee shall discharge its mandate with all sense of responsibility, guided by the Legislative Agenda of the 10th Assembly.

He assured that the Committee would look into laws and policies that have outstayed their relevance to achieve the desired objective and emphasized his committee readiness to ensuring that Nigerian remains the first point of call while reiterating commitment to carry out a comprehensive oversight on withing MDA’s that fall within it’s jurisdictions.

“Our environment has been subjected to very unkind conditions and our constituents and constituencies are suffering the consequences.

“What we are going through is not peculiar to us but a global problem which requires all hands to be on deck to achieve results.

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“We are privileged to be part of finding solution to these challenges and giving our constituents and the nation at large hope of a better tomorrow and we will do all we can to achieve results.”

In their contributions, members of the Committee who took turned to speak commended the Chairman for his wisdom and programme aimed at ensuring that Nigerian is made much more cleaner and safer for all citizenry.