The Secretary General of the Association of Miners and Processors, Patrick Odiegwu has expressed concerns over Nigeria’s reliance on imported barite required in the oil and gas sector despite having huge deposits of the mineral on its land and considering the 2010 Local Content Act.
Miners say Nigeria imports 95 percent of the barite it uses. According to Odiegwu at a recent press conference with Journalists in Abuja, despite crude oil production in commercial quantities for over 50 years, the country still relies on barite importation.
Governments at all levels, especially the state and local governments should do more to harness the opportunities in the Nigerian mining sector, he stated.
“Since over 50 years oil and gas have been produced in this country, 95 percent of Barite used in Nigeria are imported. Despite the Local Content Act that was passed in 2010 clearly stating that 60 percent should be locally sourced.
“The state and local government where these minerals abound in their domain should sit up.
“Barite miners should not continue to harvest poverty in Nigeria”, he said.
The Nigerian government recently announced fees and rate hikes, apparently to harness the country’s $750 billion mining sector potential revenue.
Last week, operators in the mining sector appealed to the federal government to jettison the rate hikes.
