The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, has stressed the need for more professionalism and expertise to ensure the development of the mining sector in Nigeria.
The minister, who was represented by the Director-General, Mining Cadastre Office, Obadiah Nkom, said this during the 57th Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society Annual International Conference and Exhibition, in Port Harcourt.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Sunday by the ministry, titled ‘Mining: Nigeria needs professional expertise for sector development.’
The statement read in part, “The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, has called for professionalism and expertise for the development of the mineral sector as part of efforts to develop and reposition the Solid Minerals Sector for maximum utilisation of the nation’s over 44 mineral resources in line with the present administration’s keenness to diversify the economy.”
It added, “According to him, the country needed those with competence for it to get the full potentials from the vast mineral deposits spread across every state and local government area. He enjoined them to come up with clear actionable initiatives that would help drive the vision of the Ministry in actualising its mandate to diversify the economy through the sector.”
The Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah, represented by the Director Artisanal and Small Scale Mining, Patrick Ojeka, emphasised the need for mining operators to be environmentally conscious and maintain ecological integrity.
The Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who was represented by the Commissioner for Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Dr. Peter Medee, said the country needed to reposition itself properly to benefit from the transition from fossil fuel to cleaner energy while conserving the environment for cleaner energy and environmental sustainability.
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