Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, and ex-Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, have commended the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, for re-igniting national interest in the solid minerals sector. Speaking on a courtesy visit to the Minister recently, Shittu said the sector holds the key to sustainable diversification of the economy.

Shittu said Nigeria, blessed with abundant mineral resources, has no reason to be dependent on dwindling oil revenue, emphasising that Alake has taken the bull by the horn in turning the tide with ongoing reforms of the mining sector, in line with his seven-point agenda.

The Minister, in his response, restated the commitment of the Tinubu administration to make solid minerals, the nation’s highest revenue earner, stressing that bottlenecks and challenges hampering seamless mining operations are being addressed.

” We are concentrating on exploring and exploiting at least eight minerals that we have the comparable advantage, and we have in immense commercially viable quantities. So, we are addressing all bottlenecks, from challenges of insecurity to the menace of unlicensed miners to getting the buy-in of host communities, protecting their rights, and factoring their dues into mining operations. We have the full support of President Bola Tinubu, we are reviewing policies to be executed soon,” he added.

The Minister re-echoed the President’s assertion that “Nigeria is open for business,” declaring that the mining sector is poised to be the most attractive for foreign and local investments.