The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake has said the sector is critical to economic growth as he disclosed that he was assigned the Ministry by President Tinubu, due to the sensitive position of the sector to economic renewal and development
Alake while assuming office on Monday also also pledged the administration’s readiness to give a new lease of life to the sector.
“The ministry is key to the administration and the president wanted someone that he can trust to deliver effectively, So that position was one that I specifically asked Mr President to give me and he obliged,” he stated.
He warned members of staff to brace up for the tasks ahead in delivering renewed hope to Nigerians adding that all civil service bottlenecks should be eliminated to enable him to carry out his duties effectively.
“I have worked as a Commission for information to the President while he was the Governor of Lagos state and I understand how you civil servants operate, I won’t tolerate any bottlenecks that would hinder my job so any files that get to you must be attended to in an hour” Alake warned.
“We won’t allow bottlenecks to stifle our set goals. If you can really sit down to listen, you would understand that Hydrocarbon is fading out and the attention of the world is shifting to solid minerals. So, we must get it right,” Alaka emphasised.
“I understood what results are, having served under the current president as commissioner while he was the governor of Lagos state and we are here to achieve results. I believe we can do it with all hands on deck.”
Alake who stressed that all is set to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive in line with the mandate of the sector added that he would unveil his roadmap for the sector in the next couple of days.
Earlier, his counterpart in the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, said it was time to move the country to the G-20 industrialized nations and promised that in no distance time, the Ajaokuta Steel mill will commence production.
“The mandate of Mr. President is to ensure that we get it right in the steel sector and as a young ministry, we would work towards the production of steel in the country in no distance time. We are set to kick start the Ajaokuta steel machine and Nigeria can not afford to fail in steel production,” Audu stated.
In his presentation, the minister of state, Mines and Steel Development, Maigari Ahmadu called for synergy among stakeholders and staff to enable the ministers to perform optimally.
Earlier in her address of welcome, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Mary Ogbe explained that the mandate of the ministry was to regulate the mining sector to ensure that mineral resources are harnessed and utilized for the development of the nation’s economy.
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