Committee on Solid Minerals to repeal obsolete laws - Hon Barde

Hon. Yakubu U. Barde is the chairman House of Representatives Committee on solid minerals. He spoke to our correspondent Musa Usman on plans by his committee to revive the sector, which had suffered neglect for a long time. Below is the excerpt of the interview.

Hon, Your committee was recently inaugurated and as such commenced its legislative oversight. What would be your focus?

First and foremost, I want to thank the leadership of the House, for giving me the privilege of serving as a chairman among my colleagues in the solid mineral committee. The solid mineral sector needs to be developed and there is need to bring up new laws and to repeal some laws that have become obsolete, so that people or investors will be able to come into Nigeria to invest in the sector. We have over 34 minerals in Nigeria so if they are fully exploited, there will be diversification of source of revenue so that we will no longer be dependent on oil. I think the first step the committee wants to take, is to ensure that the relevant laws are amended to be in consonance with modern day laws or technology. And also to make sure that those laws that are obsolete are repealed and new ones formulated.

Solid mineral sector has not be given adequate attention by past administration, how do you hope to change things?

The inauguration of the committee witnessed a good turnout, with the presence of the Minister and other stakeholders in the sector. I think this presence signified the importance they attached to the solid mineral sector. I think we will work in collaboration with them, because no one can go it alone. So we want to work with them, to make sure that the formulations we are going to bring will be in consonance with international standard. So the commitment of the Hon. Minister is highly commendable and it shows we are going to work together.

How do you hope to tackle the problem of illegal mining currently going on in parts of the country?

This is a very important question in the sense that we don’t want to see them out of business. Rather we want to see how we can harness their experiences to make sure that they are brought under one umbrella body, given the enabling laws that will back them, so that they will now work as a legitimate body, not as individual illegal miners. This is because before now, you will agree with me they work individually. There is no co-ordination and if they co-ordinate themselves into a body, then we will be able to assist them and work with them and give them necessary legal backing, so that they operate within the frame work of the law.

Taping natural resources especially, the solid mineral, is capital intensive. What would your committee do to assist private sector or would-be investors in the sector?

Yes, part of what we intend doing, like I have heard and read in various dailies about the provision made by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for miners whereby they are suppose to benefit from soft loan, may be with single digit interest loan… that will enable them invest in the solid mineral sector. We are going to work in collaboration with these agencies, the Miners Association including the CBN, to see how we can lessen the condition attached to the accessibility of these loans. So this is the one we have known about already. And again, you will agree with me, international agencies like USAID and others are willing to assist us, in term of sensitising us, or making available to us, what is obtainable in other countries. So far, this is what we are going to focus on, until other avenues are available for us to explore.

What is your appeal to Nigerians on this important sector, which has been neglected over the years?

First and foremost, I think we need to do a lot of research, and I want to plead with our professionals in the Universities, to bring up proposals so that we as a committee can tender same to the government for possible research into the quantity, that is the value of our solid mineral deposit in various states of the federation. Because what is obtainable now is that people just have a little knowledge or information about the type of solid mineral that is available, but qualifying the amount in term of monetary value is what we don’t have. So there is need to do a very comprehensive survey and research on this and I think that is what we want to focus on now.

What can you say on the technology available to advance mining sector in the country?

The technological advancement of mining has remained stagnant because of low injection of capital into the sector. It is commendable that some monies are set aside in CBN to service this sector through soft loans to miners. This committee will collaborate with relevant agencies to ensure that these monies are accessible to miners.

What are the effects of over-dependence on oil as the sole revenue of the country, on other prospective sources especially the solid mineral sector?

Well, we may be an oil rich nation, yet it is an irony that the rising oil revenues did not translate to development and welfare of the citizenry. Rather it unleashes spiral violence and conflicts, which means that something is wrong. It is our belief that much of these problems could be avoided through the diversification of the economy.

History is very clear on how various regions of this country were developing in the past. Thanks to the various resources available for these entities to develop at their pace. The implication of this therefore is that the high wire politics of deprivation of today were non issue in the immediate post years of independence as no region took to mining of solid mineral and agriculture that abound.

But this could not be sustained with the evolution of oil industry, there is need to evolve a multifaceted approach to economic development. As members of the solid mineral committees, we have taken the exploitation and management of the extractive industry upon ourselves as is the case the world over. Nigeria cannot afford to stand aloof in this drive. We therefore call for collaboration and understanding of stakeholders in the industry.

Thank you for your audience

Thank you too for having me.

Age is not slowing me down - Adedibu 

Last Eid-el-Fitri festival, chieftain and leader of the PDP in Oyo State, Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu spoke to DELE OGUNSEEMI, South West Bureau chief, at his Molete Ibadan residence. Chief Adedibu, in the interview, touched on many political issues in the state and Nigeria in general, concluding that said his age at 80 is not enough to slow him down politically. It is vintage Adedibu.

 

Can I meet you sir?

You are welcome. I am Chief Alhaji Lamidi Ariyibi Akanji Adedibu, a chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State.

Ramadan Kareem sir. May God spare our lives to witness many more.

Thank you. I am very grateful and praise be to God.

Sir at 80, how are you coping with the political activities as well as your followers?

That’s the will of God. We have been coping and I have been relevant to the political activities not only in the state, but in Nigeria as a whole. And to your question about my people, I have been coping with them through the special grace of God. They too have been enduring me. We started the struggle together, and we are all together.

But with your age at eighty, one feels you need a lot of relaxation, especially from politics?

God willing, we are coping and there is no problem. I am still healthy and strong enough to be with them, just as they are not tired of me. I am still valid, physically strong and psychologically sound.

What is your position now, in the Olubadan Council?

There is no controversy over that again. Events have overtaken that. I am now in cordial relationship with his royal majesty, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Odulana Odugade (JP). I am maintaining my position. I sit on my seat as a senior member of the Olubadan-in-Council. His Royal Majesty has been very pleased with me, and I have been playing my role as his subject. Kabiyesi has no complaint against me, I too, I am in full support of his royal majesty.

But are you still the Ekerin Olubadan?

I have no comment on that. You know if there’s any vacancy before, and you are the next man to that position, definitely you’ll be promoted to the position. So, we will be promoted. My chieftaincy titled in Ibadanland today is above that of Ekerin Olubadan.

Sir, we’ve not heard anything from you on current labour crisis in the state?

I don’t think there is crisis. Workers are only desperate; they are just being instigated by some unscrupulous elements in the state to undermine the state government. Whatever they are doing, call it strike or whatever, government activities are going on without hindrance in the state.

The government is recording remarkable achievements every day, with or without them. They cannot undermine the state government. I am fully in support of the government.

But sir, one would expect you as a father to both sides to intervene and settle the crisis.

They have both agreed. They have agreed with each other with the intervention of some leaders and personalities in the state. The government has even accepted the conditions they put across, but workers kept on presenting another. They have been making things difficult. If the government accepts one request, Labour would introduce another, it has political undertone.

With the strike biting hard on the people of the state, what is your word of advice for the masses?

I don’t know that it is biting on the people I don’t think so. The market women are there, petrol dealers are selling their products, transportations are working, and commercial vehicles are on the road. If you don’t have any business with the government, how do you know it is biting hard? I don’t feel any impact in their strike.

It seems your followers are always with you, even during this Ramadan period.

Yes, we are always together, even we are going to break our fast here together. Some honourable members will be here, they will sit and have their breakfast here with me.

Sir, come year 2011, may God spare our lives, would you still partake in active politics?

That is tomorrow’s issue. It is in the hands of God. May God spare our lives.

Any message for the people of the state?

Since fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, I will enjoin them to fear God in all their undertakings; both Muslim and Christians. We should fear God and do good to others as we would expect goodness from them.