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By Zacchaeus Ozovehe.
Kogi State Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO) has been ranked second in the country for being active in the areas of conflict resolution, awareness sensitisation and partnership with the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
The feat was announced in Abuja in the just concluded first national stakeholders discourse on opportunities and challenges of artisanal mining in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by the chairman of Kogi State MIREMCO, Hajia Hassiat Ozavize Suleiman, the challenges in the solid minerals and mining sector are lack of formalisation and regulatory framework, inadequate financial support; low level of technology, which invariably leads to lack of health and safety measures as well as insecurity.
Participants which were drawn from stakeholders within the civil service and consultants to the Artisanal and Small Miners(ASM) according to Hajia Hassiat, had robust discussion on the importance of synergy between MIREMCO and the Federal and state governments on issues of mining.
On the part of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (MMSD), Directors from the relevant departments were said to have re-introduced the committee to the participants, highlighting its legal establishment, mandate, and core objectives.
Hajia Hassiat Ozavize Suleiman whose committee came a little below Kaduna State with a slim margin proclaimed that from the data collected and the glowing commendations, it was clear for all to see that Kogi State MIREMCO is firmly on top in all the above categories, a feat she dedicated to the foresight of Governor Yahaya Bello whose New Direction administration revived the committee.
“It is worthy of note that most of the actionable strategies made on the way forward towards tackling these problems are strategies that have long been considered and adopted by Kogi State Government under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello.
“Thanks to the ingenuity of the Governor and members of his cabinet who did not only revived the MIREMCO in the state, but also constituted a Solid Minerals Development Committee consisting of relevant state government officials to bridge the communication gap between miners and the instrumentality of the state. It really gladdens the heart to know that Kogi is on par with global best practices, not only at the State level, but at the National as well”, she concluded.
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