Mining and steel makes its highest contribution ever
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Development of mines and steel fetched N7.8 billion into Gross Domestic Product (GDP) coffers in 2021, an unprecedented amount, according to the ministry’s Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) Director, Patrick Ojeka.
The sum was made through agencies and departments in the ministry with the greatest contribution coming from its Mining Cadastra Office (MCO) which manages and administers mineral titles.
“The ministry, in its effort to put the sector in its rightful place, came up with a Road Map, inaugurated by the former Minister [now] Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi.
“The road map made the sector attractive to investors and has placed the sector on the path of growth and development.
“Fayemi also accessed N30 billion for the ministry. It was a great achievement; the fund helped to upscale the performance of the sector to a higher level,” Ojeka disclosed in Abuja.
He said other Ministers in the ministry have also done well but stressed that the ministry had never contributed up to N7.8 billion to GDP.
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Biometrics capture of miners
The ministry will soon begin to capture the biometrics of more 2,000 artisanal miners registered in cooperatives across the country Ojeka added, per reporting by The Nation.
“The biometrics will help to locate and apprehend artisanal miner that commit offence; it will help in locating where they are conducting mining operations.
“The ministry has formalised the operations of over 2,000 artisanal miners that registered into different cooperatives. We want to go beyond formalisation; we want to have their biometrics.
“We have procured biometric equipment that will soon be deployed to the field for the exercise and we will issue them identity cards.
“We noticed that some artisanal miners have been formalised several times due to their movement from one field to another, but the biometrics will henceforth prevent double formalisation.
“The federal government do not call artisanal miners ‘illegal miners;’ they are miners that are scratching the surface of the land to earn their living. We call them artisanal miners.
“As far as they have been formalised into cooperatives, they can access small scale mining licences from the MCO to conduct full mining operation.
Ojeka also disclosed agreement reached with artisanal miners on tenement (land) that belongs to investors to sell minerals mined on the tenement to the investors.
