The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has called for a reform in Nigeria’s mining licensing process, urging the country to abandon the practice of granting mining licences solely based on community consent forms. Speaking at the 60th annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), Sule explained that this practice hinders states from receiving fair revenue from the mining sector.
Sule emphasised the need for innovation in the sector, stating that mining, rather than oil, holds the key to Nigeria’s wealth. He recalled how, upon taking office, Nasarawa State had 416 mining licences but was not generating substantial revenue from them. To address this, the state introduced an executive order requiring commercial-scale miners to process their minerals within the state, which led to the establishment of numerous processing plants.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, highlighted the federal government’s commitment to advancing geospatial data and remote sensing technologies to enhance mineral exploration and investment. He also noted the government’s focus on creating mineral processing hubs to boost value addition and reduce dependence on raw mineral exports.
The President of NMGS, Prof. Akinade Shadrach Olatunji, stressed that agriculture and the adoption of innovative geoscience and mining solutions are key to transforming Nigeria’s economy, pointing out that industrialised nations have long realized the importance of robust, well-funded geoscience and mining agencies.
