By Martha Agas
The Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) has urged government officials at both the national and sub-national levels to respect the provisions of extant laws in the governance of mineral resources
The National President of the association, Dele Ayanleke, made the call at the opening ceremony of the ninth edition of the Mining week, in Abuja.
Ayanleke said that the move was crucial if Nigeria sought to make the mining sector the cornerstone of its economy.
“I wish to humbly submit that this is not the time to exhibit exuberance or engage in unguided and staggered experimentation of a governance regime that will turn our dream into a mirage.
“To accelerate the growth of our national mining economy, huge investments are needed.
“As no investor wants to fish in troubled waters, this is the time to engender a unified, acceptable and pragmatic legal and regulatory framework,” he said.
According to him, such a framework should address and ameliorate all the issues giving impetus to the present chaotic operating and regulatory environment.
He said that the mining week provided a platform to assess the efforts of stakeholders aimed at reworking policy guidelines to support the diversification and broadening of the economy.
He emphasised that appropriate actions must be taken to reposition the sector, particularly to achieve President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s vision of diversifying the economy.
“It is incumbent for us to sincerely and patriotically examine those factors militating against the envisaged accelerated growth of the sector,” he said.
In his remarks,Cyril Azobu, Partner and Mining Leader,PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), said that Nigeria’s mining industry was currently attracting investors attention in exploration due to laudable policies that are helping to de-risk the sector.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme for the mining week is ‘From the Inside Out: Building the Mining Sector to be the Cornerstone of the Economy’.
The week is organised by MAN and is hosted by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
