Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello has assured that his government will do whatever it can to support the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to achieve its’ aim of carrying out Airborne Geophysical Survey (AGS) in the state.
This was disclosed on Friday by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Niger State, Mary Noel-Berje.
According to her, the Governor gave the assurance when he played host to a sensitisation team on the AGS at the Government House Minna, the State capital.
Governor Sani Bello who described the innovation as great, applauded the Ministry, adding that such innovative steps will create opportunity for investors to come into the sector but pointed that lack of adequate data in the sector, might hinder investors.
The Governor noted that there are some Local Government Areas that are also viable such as Shiroro, Munya, Mariga, Rijau, Magama and Tafa that were not covered for the survey, and directed the Commissioner for Mineral Resources, Sunday Kolo, to liaise with the sensitisation team on how to intimate appropriate authorities to ensure that the local governments left out are captured.
Earlier, the sensitisation team leader and Director-General, National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency, Kaduna, Dr Umar Albarka Hassan explained that their visit was to intimate the Governor that the Mineral Sector Support for Economic Diversification project, which is a World Bank assisted project under the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, will embark on AGS in 112 local government areas across Niger and 17 other states in the country.
Dr Hassan disclosed that the survey is aimed at acquiring more details on geology and mineral potentials of the selected local government areas and that the exercise will facilitate the accurate location of mineral resources and would stimulate investment leading to increased economic activities in the respective states to be surveyed as desired by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to the sensitization team leader, an aircraft equipped with state of the art devices will be used to measure minor variations in the earth’s magnetic fields and gamma radiations in the soil.
He said the aircraft will fly at 50 metres altitude and a line spacing of 100 meters adding that it is safe, as a passive technique that does not involve sending out any signals or sound waves into the ground would be deployed.
The team leader said the survey will commence on the 22nd of July, 2021 and that it will last for about two months when it gets to Niger State.
Owing to the security challenges being experienced in the country, Dr Hassan enjoined the public not to be misinformed or panic as a result of the loud noise of the aircraft during the exercise.
He requested the Governor to direct and mobilize relevant ministries, local government chairmen and traditional rulers of the LGAs to be surveyed for effective and efficient sensitisation of the residents.
The local government areas to be surveyed in the state are Mokwa, Mashegu, Lavun, Gbako, Katcha, Edati, Bosso, Agaie and Lapai.
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