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SENATE COMMITTEE ON SOLID MINERALS ENGAGES SOLID MINERALS DEVELOPMENT FUND

By Samuel Udoma

ABUJA – The Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, yesterday, rounded up its interactive session with the Executive Secretary, Solid Minerals Development Fund, Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi and her team.

The Solid Minerals Development Fund is one of the key agencies under the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, mandated with the responsibility of facilitating funding for mining activities in the country.

The interactive session, which spanned two days, offered opportunity for the agency to put the Senate Committee with up to speed, regarding some of its programmes and activities.

Addressing the meeting, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ekong Sampson, representing Akwa Ibom South, harped on the importance of the solid minerals sector to Nigeria, saying the country has been so richly blessed, to be facing the current economic hardship. He said Nigeria does not have any excuse to be poor, considering the huge mineral endowments in the country.

Senator Sampson reiterated that the Senate was ready to offer needed legislation, by looking at gaps in the extant Mining Act, with a view to addressing it and provide workable legal framework that will boost and reinvigorate the nation’s mining sector.

The Akwa Ibom South Senator expressed readiness of the Senate Committee to continually interface with relevant agencies and key stakeholders in the industry, in order to engender stronger collaboration in the interest of the sector.

Speaking with newsmen, immediately after the interactive with the Senate Committee members, the Executive Secretary, Solid Minerals Development Fund, Fatima Shinkafi, flanked by Committee Chairman, Senator Ekong Sampson acknowledged the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals as key partner in the development of the mining sector, especially in the area of legislation.

Hajia Shinkafi illumined and offered insights on some of her agency’s programmes, stages of implementation, as well as future projections. She opened up that the agency had secured key partnership with the African Finance Corporation to deepen greenfield exploration, and boost data, which was critical to investment in the sector.

The Executive Secretary promised to grow the Fund, and position it to make considerable impact for the sector. She attested that growing the minerals sector will offer needed export diversification, lead to increased forex earnings for Nigeria and strengthen the dwindling naira.

While thanking the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals for a warm and productive interface, Hajia Shinkafi solicited for continuous support and collaboration of the legislative arm, to enable the sector achieve some of its lofty goals.

Some of the Senate Committee members present at the meeting were Vice Chairman Senator Mustapha Khabeeb, Senator Aminu Tambuwwal, Senator Diket Plang, Senator Onawo Ogoshi, Senator Osita Ngwu, Senator Idriss Wadada, Senator Seriake Dickson, Senator Sunday Marshal Katung, among others.

Accompanying the Executive Secretary to the session included renowned geologist, former DG of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral and former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, Dr. O. Adeniji, mining law expert, Daniel Baluwa, Head of Human Resources at the agency, among others.