A stakeholder in Nigeria’s mining sector, Mr Patrick Odiegwu, yesterday said that the Federal Government’s monitoring of activities at the mining sites was crucial to sustaining the sector.
He said in Abuja that proper visibility and information were necessary to ensure the sustainability of the sector.
Odiegwu, who is National Publicity Secretary of Association of Miners and Processors of Barite (AMAPOB), noted that once everybody played to the rules of engagement, the mining sector would be sustainable and its potential would be fully harnessed.
He decried the activities of the informal miners, describing them as a problem to the sector.
“This can be looked at from two angles; from a company that had a licence to explore, and then turn around to use same to exploit; or people who are not licensed and are trying to extract mineral deposits.
“I won’t say there is a predominantly rampant mining being done by companies that are not licensed, but few individuals and host communities gather where events had been exposed, and try to take advantage of what they can find,” he said.
Odiegwu called for proper monitoring of activities of informal miners through relevant agencies or the Ministry of Solid Mineral and Steel Development.
According to him, all parties must be fully switched on to ensure that there is no gap, adding that all hands must be on deck, to ensure the full potential of the mining sector.
He said that the host communities should be well informed about their rights and privileges to avoid being exploited by selfish mining companies.
“Naturally, it is going to be a very big problem; poverty persists and that is where government has a responsibility to sensitise mining host communities.
“It is the responsibility of government to ensure that citizens are always aware of their rights, especially in this regard; and there is a legal provision for it in the Mining Act,” he said.
The AMAPOB scribe noted that before exploration, mining companies were expected to sign an agreement with the host communities and the government.
According to him, the impact of mining affects everybody either positively or negatively, adding that the essence of host communities could not be understated.
Odiegwu said that for mining operations to be successful, host communities had to be carried along, adding that any mining company that kept host communities in abeyance would not have a sustainable structure and a successful operation.
“The sustainability of every mining company is linked to a very stable host community that knows what the company is doing and gets their benefit accordingly.
“But fundamentally, it should be the responsibility of government to ensure that everybody behaves, that the host community gets what is due to it, and state gets the revenue it requires.
“We should be an informed society; if we are informed, everybody will know their rights and behave themselves accordingly,” Odiegwu said.