Special police to check illegal mining as Nigerian govt unveils blueprint for solid mineral industry

The Federal Government has unveiled a fresh blueprint for the solid mineral sector in Nigeria.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr. Dele Alake, unveiled this plan when he featured in an NTA Weekend File on Sunday.

He listed the plans and strategies to be deployed by the federal government to increase the contribution of mining to the nation’s economy.

The plans include a 30-day window for investors to get mining licences and a 60-day grace for illegal artisanal miners to organize themselves to become bankable and pay royalties and taxes to the government.

The government will also create a special police outfit for the sole purpose of combating illegal mining across the country.

On challenges in the mining sector, the minister said the issue of insecurity would be handled through collaboration with different security agencies and the establishment of a special police outfit for that purpose.

Alake said: “We found out through intelligence reports that some illegal miners are directly responsible for the upsurge of banditry in several parts of Nigeria.

“That is why I have been working with the various security agencies and the National Security Adviser, the outfit we are coming up with, and the President is fully in support of this.

“We are going to create a special police outfit. We’ll call it the Mining Police Force or the Mine Police.”

READ ALSO: EFCC arrests 13 Chinese nationals for illegal mining in Kwara

The proposed security outfit, according to the minister, will not be restricted to the mining sector and will cover marine and the blue economy.

He stressed that the special police force would be controlled by the ministry of solid minerals with its personnel reporting to officials in the ministry.

When asked what it takes for potential investors to get a mining license, Alake explained that the ministry would overhaul the whole process of application and licensing to make it as easy as possible.

He added: “That one-stop shop will enable you at a glance to know the processes that you have to go through so that you don’t need to go from one department to the other and be wasting time.

“It will tell you how to do it, what you should do, the requirements, etc. And the licenses after completing your applications legitimately must not take more than 30 days for it to be issued.”

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