MINERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA SAYS MINING CAN COMPLEMENT GAINS FROM OIL

Miners Association of Nigeria(MAN) said that if the mining sector is effectively harnessed, it will complement gains from the oil sector.

National President of MAN, Alhaji Sani Shehu, noted:"What the mining sector needs is protection, everywhere else the sector is protected. Government must protect us so that the sector that is now being castigated can return to being a formidable sector for revenue generation and employment”.

He made a strong case on the need for Nigeria to explore solid minerals as a means to boost its economy.He also commented that the mining sector if well developed, the gains would surpass that of the oil sector.

For solid minerals  to yield the desired financial support for the economy's growth, the political sector must rise to the task by providing the  mining sector with the required infrastructure and funding.

Shehu’s position on Nigeria’s mineral resources which is heavily under-utilised backups the position of other concerned Nigerians who have persistantly advised the federal government to spread Nigeria’s economic base to achieve meaningful growth in the nation.

It would be recollected that before oil exploration came into prominence, the agricultural sector was the mainstay of the economy.Nigeria relied on groundnut business in the north, coal production in the east, cocoa production in the west, timber and palm kernel business in the south-south to move the economy forward.

 The time has come for the federal government to focus  their attention on the agricultural sector, as well as the mining sector as another alternative to the oil sector.It is obvious that even when the minerals are exploited, it is done illegally and enriches a few just as it yields no revenue to government, letting the communities where such mining is done to be at risk. For instance, illegal lead mining in Zamfara State led to lead poisoning which claimed many lives in the state.

The federal government should bear in mind that oil will go extinct and with the lack of diversification of the economy, the nation will end up piling up unemployment and crime wave in the country.