The Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah has charged Chairmen of the Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO) to work towards building a synergy between the three tiers of government for sustainable development of the nation’s abundant mineral resources.
Ogah, who gave the charge at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of MIREMCO Chairmen in Abuja, said such a collaborative arrangement would help in exploring the opportunities in the industry for improved revenue and ensure job creation and national growth.
Noting that the forum was timely as it x-rayed the mineral development misgivings between the states and the federal government, the minister decried the drastic decline in revenue generated from the sector and expressed optimism that the forum would make useful recommendations for charting the way forward to resolve resource conflicts across the three tiers of government for economic growth.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Edet Sunday Akpan, expressed government’s willingness to work with the committee in order to increase revenue needed to tackle constraints militating against optimal output from the sector.
He also encouraged them to work closely with Federal Mining Officers to realise more revenue for the Ministry.
The members of the Committee affirmed their inputs towards enhancing mining activities, which include resolving issues between the host mining communities and miners, among others.
The group, however, highlighted some of the challenges facing their tasks such as inadequate funding, operational vehicles and lack of cooperation and urged the ministry to address them in order to facilitate their performance.
