One year on, miners yet to access N5bn FG lifeline

More than a year after the Federal Government announced a Financing Support Fund of N5bn for artisanal and small-scale miners in the country, the African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development has raised concern that no miner in the country has been able to access the fund.

It attributed the development to stringent conditions by the Bank of Industry (BoI) for miners to access the fund. One of the conditions is that miners must have a Certificate of Occupancy, a surety that would stand for them.

The centre’s Acting Executive Director, Monday Osasa, while speaking at the National Mining Summit organised by his organisation, yesterday, in Abuja, called on BoI to relax conditions for accessing funds, such that it would be a win-win situation for both the bank and miners.

The National President of Miners Association of Nigeria Alhaji Sani Shehu, said their major challenge was funding to enable them buy equipment, acquire mining technology and overcome some of their infrastructural challenges.