By Shakirudeen Bankole, Abuja
*Photo R-L: Commissioner for Solid Mineral and Natural Resources, Hon. Hamza Safiyanu Kachako and Special Assistant to the State Governor on Mining and Natural Resources, Mallam Aminu Abu Ibrahim*
*Hon. Hamza Safiyanu Kachako(3rd right) during a session *
Kano State Government is among the endowed states with mineral wealth in the country participating at the ongoing Nigeria Mining Week in Abuja.
The delegation is made up of the Commissioner for Solid Mineral and Natural Resources, Honourable Hamza Safiyanu, and the Special Assistant to the State Governor on Mining and Natural Resources, Mallam Aminu Abu Ibrahim and others.
Safiyanu, speaking at the event held at Abuja Continental Hotel
said in the last one year, one of the significant developments that has happened in the state was the expansion and renaming of the ministry, from the Ministry of Solid Minerals to Ministry of Minerals and Natural Resources.
He said the move was aimed at expanding the dragnet to cover both liquid and solid minerals such as crude oil, gas, water, tin, gold, tantalite, and many more that are in abundant economic quantity in the state.
” Kano State is the major state with the deposit of Tin, Columbite, Zinc, and as well as gold. We have key people that are heavily invested in the sector. Then, we have the Silica Sand, which is a very good one. It has 98% purity, leaving just a small touch to be processed. We have iron too, which is very good. Luminite, and tantalite among others, are equally available in Kano State and in abundant quantity. This is the reason for investors to come and explore with us,” he said.
According to him, the state governor has created the Ministry of Internal Security and poised to engage and train young citizens of the state on requisite knowledge to thrive legitimately and constructively in the sector, as part of measures to tame insecurity in the sector.
He stressed that the policy framework and regulatory strategies being put in place are community focus, and are aimed .to consolidate on the Federal Government policy through developmental plan for the sector while looking out for the interest of the state.
” Following the foresight of the State Governor, we have equally established our own state mining company, called the Kano State Mining Company, which can be used for collaboration, and investment window.
” The company is ready to project the state’s resources, engage and connect with stakeholders and investors in our quest to bring massive investment into the sector,” he said.
On his part, the SA to the State Governor on Mining, Mallam Ibrahim, said there is the need to use policy adjustment to address the issues of insecurity and illegal mining activities in the country.
According to him, “for instance, the entire mining sector only has 35 employees from the whole of the Northern region.
He said while the number may be understandable for the liquid minerals, which are channelled through protected pipelines, the same can not be said of Solid Minerals which are scattered across communities in the country.
” This is because we still operate and maintain the Federal Government Exclusive List in the sector. But it is crystal clear that there is the need to decentralise the sector, just as the Prison Service has been done.
“In terms of employment opportunity, there is no way the Federal Government can employ enough manpower to cover all the states of the federation. This is because, for instance, in a state, you find more than 100 sites for mining,” he said.
He said to achieve the policy adjustment, there is the need to consider constitution review by the lawmakers.
He lamented that one of the issues raising community tension with mining companies are the indiscriminate and unregulated operations of the practitioners.
“Some of them would just in case the communities, and start taking resources. They would say they are from the Federal Government.No measures in place to check them. No standard. And all,” he lamented.
He said the issue has to be tanked at “the Mining Council of Nigeria.
“The solid Minerals should be removed from the exclusive list of the Federal Government. The FG can retain some strategic position. It can collect royalties but not concerns itself with who digs or take what.
“This concept would ultimately address the incessant community clashes with mining operating companies, environmental hazards and insecurity,” he said.
