The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, on Wednesday, said the Nigerian Schist Belt is rich in different mineral deposits, including gold.
Adegbite disclosed this at the commissioning of a gold processing plant in Mopa, Mopa-Muro Local Government Area of Kogi State, according to a statement by the ministry’s Head of Press, Funmi Imuetinyan.
He said the facility houses state-of-the-art gold processing machinery and equipment, over 30 stalls, administrative block, training section, MMSD office and power plant.
“The choice of Mopa as a location for the gold processing plant is predicated on its central position on the Schist Belt, which trends from the northwest through western Kogi State to southwest Nigeria.
“The Nigeria Schist Belt is known to host rich deposits of gold. With the location of the gold processing plant in Mopa, artisanal and small-scale gold operators within the Schist Belt states will easily have access to the plant for their gold processing and refining.
“The informal trading of unprocessed gold leads to capital flights and job losses. It is in a bid to develop the downstream sector mining industry to improve product pricing, create jobs, improve revenue generation and attract foreign markets to Nigeria,” the minister said.
The Permanent Secretary at the ministry, Dr. Oluwatoyin Akinlade, said the conceptualisation of the project was a fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic programme.
Instead of giving out cash or other material gifts to the people to cushion the effects of the pandemic, she said, the ministry embarked on more strategic people-oriented projects that are sustainable and economically viable.
Gov. Yahaya Bello, who was represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Solid Mineral Resources, Mohammed Yusuf, said the government and people of the state were overwhelmed with joy over the project.
