Whereas the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, yesterday, rolled out a seven point agenda for the revival of the ministry, analysts have argued that he may not do much considering the fact that solid minerals are on the concurrent list instead of federal list after all.
He claimed that the ministry would add 50 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country, even as he announced reforms, including a 30-day grace for illegal miners to join artisanal cooperatives. The minister disclosed this in Abuja during the unveiling of the ‘Agenda for Transformation of Solid Minerals for International Competitiveness and Domestic Prosperity’. Alake said the ministry will focus on a seven-point agenda, including the creation of the Nigerian solid minerals corporation, joint ventures with mining multinationals, big data on specific seven priority minerals and their deposits, 30-day grace for illegal miners to join artisanal cooperatives, mines surveillance task force and mines police, comprehensive review of all mining licenses, and creation of six mineral processing centres to focus on value-added products. He said: President Bola Tinubu has taken firm, courageous decisions that have reset the logic of the Nigerian economy. The removal of subsidies and the adoption of a single exchange rate are among the fundamental transformational policies of this administration. This radical approach to making the economy resilient in the long term is the guiding principle of the management of the ministry.
