By Victoria Onehi
The Ministry of Defence will collaborate with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development on securing the mining fields across the country. This is to make the sector realize it’s goal of contributing substantially to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP),the Minister of Defence, Muhammed Badaru has said.
The Minister and his counterpart, Minister of State Defence Alhaji Bello Matawalle, gave this assurance while answering questions from newsmen while on a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development.
Alhaji Badaru said:” The purpose of the visit by the two of us is to discuss how we can provide security in the mining areas, we are working to provide security on the farms; as well as provide security in the mining sector, to make the country earn the much need foreign currency. The mining sector is critical to help rejuvenate the economy’.,”
Responding to the initiative of creating mining police by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Minister of Defence lauded the concept, assuring it will receive the necessary boost from the military. He said ” we have to clear the territory as military to ensure safety. When the Mining Police come, they can take it up from there and continue to provide security in those mining areas ”.Badaru said.
In a statement by the Head Press and Public Relations, Alaba Balogun, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Oladele Alake reaffirmed the main essence is to secure our minerals sector.
” I have been saying it, even to foreign and local investors that we need to secure our mineral sector, so that the operators both local and foreign can have unfettered atmosphere to operate. With that we can derive maximum benefits from these God given resources. And I have been saying it that I am working in conjunction with Ministry of Defence, inter- military agencies are involved, all the security architecture that we are reinvigorating.”Alake said.
