Solid Minerals
Agbaja iron ore mining to last 100yrs – Musa Sada
ABUJA – The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Musa Sada, has said that Agbaja iron ore deposit in Kogi can last for more than 100 years when mining operations begin in the area.
Sada made the fact known in Agbaja in Lokoja Local Government Area on Wednesday during a facility tour of Kogi Mines Limited, a private company, operating in the area.
He said that so far the company had delineated more than 500 million tonnes of iron ore in the area.
The minister said the Federal Government had introduced policies to encourage investments in the solid minerals sector in the effort to achieve the National Industrial Revolution Plan.
He said the mining sector was expected to provide employment opportunities for many Nigerians.
Sada said it was important the country diversified its economy from oil to the solid minerals sector.
The minister advised the company to comply with mining and environmental regulations by treating and relating well with the host community to avoid any conflict.
Mr Kevin Joseph, the Executive Director of the company, said that the firm would begin mining of iron ore in the area in the last quarter of 2016.
“It should be noted that anywhere in the world of mining, any project of this size, from start to production is a 10-year cycle.
“If the current support for the actualisation of the project is maintained from all quarters, we will succeed in doing so within six years,’’ Joseph said.
He said the company which started exploration in 2009, had carried out many social responsibility projects for the host community.
The executive director promised that the company would comply with environmental rules and community development agreements reached with the host community.
Mr Samuel Alabi, a senior geologist with the company, said the firm would provide employment for more than 700,000 Nigerians when it began production in 2016.
Alabi said that about 90 per cent of the project was carried out by the Nigerian experts, while their foreign partners supervised the work.
However, Alhaji Muhammed Baiyerohi, the Olu of Oworo, appealed to the Federal Government to review the Environmental Impact Assessment Report in the interest of the local environment.
He urged the government to ensure that the company’s operations met international best practice.
– NAN
Business
Nigeria set to boost Naira value and foreign reserve with local gold production, as Tinubu receives gold bar
IN a significant move to strengthen Nigeria’s economy, President Bola Tinubu received a symbolic gold bar on Sunday from the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake.
This gesture marks the commencement of the National Gold Purchase Program (NGPP), aimed at boosting the naira’s value and enhancing the country’s foreign reserves.
Minister Alake expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for his support of reforms in the solid minerals sector.
He highlighted that the NGPP, which involves sourcing gold from artisanal and small-scale miners and refining it to meet the London Bullion Market Association’s Good Delivery Standard, will substantially contribute to Nigeria’s economic stability.
Alake stated “This initiative will significantly increase our foreign reserves and strengthen the naira. The refined gold will be supplied to the Central Bank of Nigeria, marking a crucial step in our economic strategy.”
The presentation also underscored the first commercial transaction under the NGPP, establishing a centralized gold purchasing system that integrates small-scale miners, cooperatives, and production units across the nation.
This program is expected to provide a structured market for gold, fostering economic growth and stability.
He said, “The successful completion of the first commercial transaction clearly demonstrates the National Gold Purchase Program’s effectiveness. It has increased the nation’s foreign reserves assets and shown that using the Nigerian Naira to purchase a liquid asset traded in United States Dollars, such as gold, is a viable strategy. This transaction has also underscored the potential of the National Gold Purchase Program to enhance fiscal and monetary stability.”
Alake added that the initial commercial transaction under the program resulted in a +US$5 million boost in Nigeria’s foreign reserve assets.
The transaction involved refining over 70 kilograms of gold to meet the London Bullion Market quality standard and aggregating locally mined gold, thereby infusing approximately NGN6 billion into the rural economy.
President Tinubu expressed appreciation for the Ministry’s accomplishment in advancing the government’s goal of economic diversification by acknowledging and displaying the symbolic gold bar
Solid Minerals
FG Fingers Foreigners Sponsoring Banditry For Illegal Mining
The Nigerian Government has threatened to come down heavily on foreigners sponsoring bandictory as a way of sustaining illegal mining activities in parts of the country.
The warning was handed down in Abuja by Minister, Solid Minerals Development, Dr Oladele Alake, while receiving a delegation of the Nigeria-China Chamber of Mines led by its National President, Dr. Olugbenga Ajala.
Details of these were contained in a statement released by Head, Press & PR, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Alaba Balogun over the weekend.
The statement cited, Dr Alake, thus, “The government will come down firmly on these unscrupulous foreign operators sponsoring banditry to perpetrate illegal mining: let me use this medium to appeal through you to tell those sponsors to desist or face the full wrath of the law.”
According to Dr Alake, the Ministry is committed to establishing a multi-agency task force that will end the activities of illegal miners and their collaborators.
The Minster made it clear that the FG had given illegal miners a 30-day-ultimatum to legitimise their businesses, quit Nigeria or incur the wrath of the law.
According to him, this will help “to streamline and structure the Small-Scale Artisanal Miners for maximum yield to the Federal Government.”
The delegation paid a courtesy call on the Minsiter at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Energy
Fuel Scarcity: Govt Yet to Increase Pump Prices – NMDPRA
By Edozie Obasi-Eze
Amidst heightening uncertainties in the domestic petroleum products market characterised by scarcity and irregular pricing, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has declared that there’s no intention to review pump prices upwards.
This was contained in an advisory issued by General Manager, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Kimchi Apollo.
He stated that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) had imported PMS with current stock levels sufficient for 34 days.
In an attempt to address panic buying and speculations which have seen price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) oscillate between N180-N250 in the Lagos area, Apollo assured that there was enough quantity of the product in the country already.
He said, “Consequently, marketers and the general public are advised to avoid panic buying, diversion of products and hoarding.
“In keeping with the Authority’s responsibilities as outlined in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Authority assures the public that it would continue to monitor the supply and distribution of petroleum products nationwide, especially during this holiday season.”