We won’t repeat oil sector mistakes in mining – FG

THE Federal Government has assured the residents of communities where mining of resources will be carried out that they will witness commensurate development as the country prospers.

The government promised that unlike what happened in the oil sector, the mining communities would not be subjected to environmental degradation because of the prosperity of the country.

Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, said this in a statement issued in Abuja by an official of the Press and Public Relations department of his ministry, Tony Ekpo.

Adegbite also stated that the Federal Government would give necessary support to investors who are keen in investing in the Nigerian minerals sector.

He spoke during a working visit to the mining site of Multiverse Mining and Exploration Plc located in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The minister was quoted as saying, “We have made mistakes in the oil sector, where the oil companies prosper and the communities are impoverished.

“We want to avoid that pitfall in the mining sector, hence, as the company prospers, the community also prospers.”

The minister expressed satisfaction with the company’s activities, which, he said, was in line with the Federal Government’s initiative to diversify the economy through the mining sector.

Adegbite noted that Multiverse Mining and Exploration was one of the successful stories in the sector that would encourage other investors to invest in the industry.

The minister has reiterated that the development of the mining industry by the Federal Government is a move to diversify the economy and provide jobs for the teeming Nigerian youth.