The Federal Government says it is putting measures in place to stop the export of over 35 million metric tonnes of unprocessed solid minerals per annum.
Special Adviser on Special Duties to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Sunny Ekozin, said this while addressing journalists ahead of the forthcoming Nigerian Solid Minerals Downstream Workshop.
Ekozin described the indiscriminate export of solid minerals without any form of value addition as unpatriotic, unfortunate and an aberration.
Ekozin noted that the exportation of unprocessed minerals was denying Nigerians much-needed employment opportunities, while also limiting the amount of money that could accrue to the government as revenue.
He said, “We shall stem the current situation of export of jobs and wealth by unwittingly exporting over 35 million metric tonnes of unprocessed mineral products annually.
“We are just getting a value of about 20 per cent, maximum, from this 35 million metric tonnes. What happens to the other 80 per cent?”
He disclosed that the Federal Government planned to open up the solid minerals sector to genuine indigenous and foreign investors to actively participate in the downstream licencing of mineral plants.
Source: Punch
