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Senate to Harness Solid Minerals to Boost Nigeria’s Economy, says Ekong Sampson

  …holds inaugural meeting as Chairman, Senate Solid Minerals Committee

   By Samuel Udoma

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, Senator Ekong Sampson has assured that the 10th Senate will work vigorously to help harness Nigeria’s vast mineral endowments to boost the economy and drive prosperity for all Nigerians.

Senator Ekong Sampson Ph.D stated this on Thursday 30th November, 2023 when he Chaired the inaugural meeting of the Committee on Solid Minerals Development, at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

Recall that on November 2023, at Senate Plenary, Senator Ekong Sampson was announced as Chairman of the Committee on Solid Minerals by Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

At a meeting of the Committee today, Sampson noted that the country’s solid minerals and extractive industry was very vast, yet grossly under-tapped. He said that Nigeria was richly blessed with huge mineral deposits that needed to be properly exploited for economic gains.

  ‘These minerals are strategically scattered all over the country. Nearly every Local Government Area in Nigeria can boast  of mineral deposits buried in the bowels of the earth around us’, adding that the mining sector has the potentials of contributing significantly to the nation’s GDP.

Senator Sampson said that developing the solid minerals base of the country can offer the Nigerian economy, the much-needed diversification it has been yearning for. He highlighted that the ‘vast endowments should be used to drive prosperity for all Nigerians, not abused to fuel insecurity, exacerbate economic dislocation and opportunity theft’.

Senator Sampson, who is a former Commissioner for Environment and Petroleum Resources in Akwa Ibom State, noted however, that a number of factors have continued to hamper the growth of the mining sector. He identified some of these factors to include activities of illegal miners and inadequate regulations, pledging the resolve of the Committee to intervene in these areas.

The Akwa Ibom South Senator lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for showing desire to develop the nation’s Solid Minerals sector, adding that the Senate through the Committee, will give the President, all the needed support.

Other members of the Committee who spoke including Vice Chairman, Senator Mustapha Khabeeb, former Chairman and now Minority Whip, Senator Osita Ngwu, Senator Diket Plang, Senator Onawo Ogoshi, and others, promised to work in unison with the Committee Chairman to take the country’s solid minerals sector to its rightful place.