By ABAH ADAH, Abuja
As preparations gather momentum for President Muhammadu Buhari to declare the 2022 Nigerian Mining Week, the 6th in its series, open next Tuesday in Abuja, participants at the event have been assured of adequate security.
Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, made this known at a press briefing in his office on Thursday while responding to a question on the likely impact of the recent terror alert by the US and the UK against Abuja and other parts of the country on the forthcoming mining week.
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Adegbite urged all stakeholders preparing to take advantage of the 3-day international event from 1st to 3rd November in Abuja not worry about their safety noting that the federal government was on top of the situation and doing everything possible through its security apparatus to nip the situation in the bud and ensure adequate security throughout the country.
He said, “I want to assure our stakeholders that Nigerian government is up to the task. I’m sure some of us must have read in the press, on the brand’s social media about the arrest of some of these people; what they were planning have been nipped in the bud, and they are not resting on that.”
He said following the arrest made by the DSS and what was discovered, people have also been urged to be mindful of internal vigilance, stressing that security would be beefed up in and around the venue as the the mining week lasts.
“So I can tell you that the Nigerian security operators, that is, the totality of it, the military, the DSS, and others are dealing with the issues being raised by our friends or partners, America and British. I can assure you that even at the event itself, adequate security will be provided. People coming in we will make sure that they are people who get the right intention, who are not coming to harm anybody,” he said.
On the focus of the week, the Minister while briefing the press disclosed that one of the issues to top the agenda for discussion during the event will be how to maximise the potentials of the energy minerals such as lithium, copper, etc. that abound in the country as the world drifts towards clean energy without degrading the environment further.
“One of the major issues to be discussed is this concern about the environment. You know everybody’s talking about going green. But the question is where will the materials come from? You need copper, you need aluminium; You need lithium; and so many other minerals. But we cannot degrade the surface of our planet earth because we want to go green, hence we will be talking environment a lot. So we’re talking environmental, social, and governance issues,” he said.
The Minister who also ruled out any plans to concession the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, ASCl, said the process of laying solid foundation for the future of the over 40-year old uncompleted project had started, adding that the mistakes made in the past would not be allowed to repeat themselves.
According to him, people are allowed to come up with equity to take and run Ajaokuta, but not in the concession way again, adding that some investors had already indicated interest even as more are coming.
Delivering the welcome address earlier, Alhaji Musa Muhammad, the Acting National President of the Miners Association of Nigeria,MAN, who is hosting the event with the ministry, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC, and the VUKA Group, said the interest shown by investors from across the world since August when the preparations towards hosting this year’s Nigerian Mining Week began in earnest, had been so enormous that they were on their toes, working round the clock to ensure that event is a huge success.
He called on all stakeholders to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the sector further by participating at the event.
Delivering the vote of thanks, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade, disclosed that this year’s mining week would be extra special as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari, had accepted the invitation to declare the event open.
“I would like to announce here that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, has accepted our invitation to declare this event open, so this year’s event will be extra special,” she said, urging all participants to ensure maximum cooperation.
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