Business

Contributions of mining sector to GDP not properly captured by NBS —NMGS president

President, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS), Professor Akande Olatunji, has pointed out that the contributions of the mining sector to the GDP is not properly captured by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Addressing newsmen ahead of the Society’s 59th annual international conference and Exhibition, slated for Jos, Plateau State, Professor Olatunji said the potential of the mining sector is becoming the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy and contributing to the GDP.

He added that if illegal activities within the sector are tackled through the implementation of the existing legal framework, the sector has what it takes to boost the country’s GDP.

“The GDP contributions to the mining sector is more than what the Bureau of Statistics is quoting. If you add the number of licensing that have been granted and calculate the number that are active and look at the number of people employed, If all these are properly calculated we would have more than what is actually being pushed forward by the Bureau of Statistics.”

He suggested that the government must fund the sector, and as well, create an enabling environment that will make the sector attractive.

On the activities of the illegal miners, the NMGS president pointed out that anywhere there is solid minerals, there must be scavengers, adding that if the law guiding the operations are fully implemented, it would minimise the illegal activities going on within the sector.

He said: “Anywhere mining is going on there is always scavengers. Here in Nigeria we have the law but we have always implement such law in the breach without compliance, the law is very clear. If you do anything contrary, you are supposed to be prosecuted and jailed. The solution is to implement the law but the question is; how do we catch these people?”

‘One of the obstacle militating against this illegal mining is lack of adequate manpower.

The Mining Inspectorate Office needs to be fully equipped for effective monitoring, there must be manpower and mobility to do this effectively.

“We should stop paying lip service to stoppage of this illegal mining, we should be ready to spend heavily in equipping the mining inspectorate office.

Nigeria is loosing a lot of money through activities of illegal miners, so to stop illegal mining we must invest in the sector. Anybody caught no matter how connected he is should be dealt with according to to the available law.

He added that the there is nothing ambiguous over who control mining between the States and federal government adding that the law clearly spell it out that mining is on exclusive list.

“The law says mining is on exclusive list, if the states are not happy with law with the way it is, they can call thier representatives in the National Assembly to sponsor a bill and they can do this if they are united but until the law is changed we must obey the law. The interference is sending negative messages to the people out there. Unless the law is changed we must stick to the provision of the law» he said.

Isaac Shobayo