National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) says Nigeria cannot achieve economy diversification with poor funding of mining research.

Its Director-General, Prof. Linus Asuquo, during a media chat in Abuja, noted that for decades, economic diversification has been a policy priority for low and middle-income nations.

He urged the National Assembly to increase funding for NMDC to enable it contribute more to Nigeria’s revenue.

Asuquo observed that the centre, as a citadel of industrialisation, could develop robustly with needed support to halt importation of iron and steel products for the nation’s military and other critical sectors.