Why Nigeria’s mining sector is underdeveloped – DG

The Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Mining Cadastral Office (MCO), Mohammed Amate has blamed underdevelopment of the mining sector in Nigeria on the state governments. Addressing the opening of a 3-day 2nd meeting of the National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources Development (NCMMRD) Tuesday in Kaduna, Amate argued that interference from state governments is number one major drawback of the mining sub-sector in Nigeria by discouraging mining investors through multiple taxation. Amate said: “Interference from states governments arising from the need to increase IGR, mining operators failure to report accurate production and export figures, challenges of funding leading to poor exploration activities by mineral title holders and dearth of local competent are the major drawback of the mining sub-sector,” he said. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Abdulkadir Mu’azu in his welcome address said that the meeting was envisaged as a yearly institutionalized event to provide an avenue for key stakeholders to meet, brainstorm, strategize and initiate the formulation of desired policies aimed at proffering solutions to the challenges facing the mining, minerals and steel sector. “The ministry has witnessed improvement in funding which partly facilitated the provision of soft loans and grants to industry participants as well as direct investment in the development of infrastructure”, he stressed.