President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja warned that the Federal
\nGovernment will no longer tolerate illegal mining and other improper
\nactivities that have inhibited the growth of Nigeria\u2019s solid minerals
\nsector.<\/p>\n
President Buhari issued the warning after receiving a briefing from top
\nofficials of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development led by the
\nPermanent Secretary, Baba Umar Farouk.<\/p>\n
The President, who noted that the mines and steel sector was very important
\nfor the diversification of the economy, expressed displeasure at Mr.
\nFarouk\u2019s report that the sector had been overrun by illegal miners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the most demoralizing briefs I have received. The biggest
\nthreat to this country besides the Boko Haram is unemployment and the
\nmining sector is key to employment creation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot be held back on such a strategic industry that can give us much
\nneeded jobs and promote economic growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere must be more seriousness in running this country and we are
\ndetermined to instill that seriousness,\u2019\u2019 the President said.<\/p>\n
The Permanent Secretary\u00a0 told the President that Nigeria\u2019s mining\u00a0 sector
\nhas been infiltrated by\u00a0 \u201cillegal aliens\u201d who carry out unlawful mining
\nactivities in the country.<\/p>\n
Also Tuesday in Abuja, President Buhari directed the Ministry of
\nEnvironment to undertake a rigorous study of Lake Chad, with a view to
\nbringing up proposals on how best to reverse the shrinking of the lake,
\nwhich currently serves as a major source of livelihood for many.<\/p>\n
Speaking after receiving a briefing on the challenges facing the Ministry
\nof Environment, President Buhari noted that the security and economic
\nchallenges faced by member countries of the Lake Chad Basin Commission
\ncould be substantially ameliorated with an improvement in the economic
\nvalue of the lake.<\/p>\n
The President also urged the Ministry of Environment to take up the
\nchallenge of researching cheaper ways of sourcing energy for cooking apart
\nfrom firewood.<\/p>\n
The Permanent Secretary, Nana Fatima Mede told President Buhari that Lake
\nChad has shrunk considerably from the 1960s, when it covered an area of
\nmore than 26,000 square kilometers, to less than one-tenth of that size at
\npresent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja warned that the Federal Government will no longer tolerate illegal mining and other improper activities that have inhibited the growth of Nigeria\u2019s solid minerals…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n