Nasarawa to host 6th National Council on Mining, Mineral Resources, says solid minerals minister

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By Muhammed Ogwu, Lafia

Federal Government has said arrangements have been concluded to
host the sixth National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources in Nasarawa State.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake revealed this while speaking with Journalists shortly after holding a meeting with Governor Abdullahi Sule at the Government House, Lafia, the state capital.

Alake who was represented by the Director General, Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office, Obadiah Nkom, stated that the choice of Nasarawa State was because of the commitment and contributions of the state government towards mining activities in the past years.

He asserted that the council meeting is expected to hold in the month of November 2024, the Minister explained that the meeting had been structured into two sessions namely Technical and Executive to allow for positive deliberations that would take the mining and mineral resources sectors to greater heights.

According to him, “The council for mining and mineral resources development is an initiative of the Federal Executive Council to serve as a prime consultative platform for all stakeholders in the mining industry to engage with the ministry.

“The council is the highest decision making body on policy matters on mining and mineral resources development. I would therefore, like to thank the Nasarawa State government for the approval given to hold the meeting in the state.”

Responding, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule thanked to the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development for choosing the state to host the sixth National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources meeting.

Sule further appreciated the ministry for its efforts towards resolving a lingering disagreement between two mining firms in the Nasarawa Local Government Area of the state and the state government due to mining portions and issues relating to royalties.

The Governor further notified the attention of the Minister to the huge untapped mineral deposits in the Kokona and Keana LGAs of the state, and urged the federal government to look into the matter with a view to exploring the minerals.

Speaking on the matter, the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Yakubu Kwanta while welcoming the Minister and his entourage to the state, promised the state government’s commitment to continue to support the initiatives of the federal government aimed at improving the mining and mineral resources sectors in the country.