By Martha Agas

The Federal Government has lifted the ban on mining exploration and other related activities in Zamfara, after five years.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake disclosed this at a press briefing on Sunday in Abuja.

Alake said the move was made following significant improvement on the security situation in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls  that the Federal Government banned all forms of mining activities in Zamfara in 2019, following alarming reports of banditry and its link to illegal mining.

Alake  said that insecurity in the state had been reduced to a manageable level to facilitate the operation of legitimate mining activities.

He said that reversing the ban would support efforts to boost the country’s economic profile, particularly as the state possessed critical minerals in commercial quantities needed for energy transition.

“The nation has a lot to gain from reawakened economic activities in a highly mineralised state like Zamfara that is imbued with vast Gold, Lithium, and Copper belts,” he said.

The minister explained that the ban had created a vacuum, which was exploited by illegal miners to rob the nation of its resources.

“The concomitant result was the colossal loss of revenue to the affected communities, local government, the state and the Federal Government as legitimate owners were forced to shut down operations,” he explained.

According to Alake, President Bola Tinubu is determined to address insecurity in the country by deploying intelligence-gathering and other security operations to neutralise merchants of insecurity

He stated that Tinubu’s strategy had led to the neutralisation of key bandit commanders, thereby significantly reducing incidents of insecurity across the nation.

“ A recent success was the capture of one of the most wanted bandit commanders, Halilu Sububu, in a covert operation in Zamfara.”

According to him,  the government is responsible for  protecting lives and property, and contingency plans have already been made to protect mining operators in Zamfara and other states.

He further explained that the strategies adopted to achieve the feat were increased intelligence gathering by relevant security agencies, who would work alongside the mining operators.

The minister stated that  lifting of the ban would also facilitate better regulation of mining activities in the state.

He added that the host communities would also benefit from the ban lift through the implementation of corporate social responsibility projects by the mining companies.

According  to him,  the move will ensure the country benefits from the state’s rich mineral resources, and the significant contributions of the sector to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.

In another development, the minister explained the provisions of its Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) with France, on boosting mining in the country.

He reassured that the agreement does not imply Nigeria was relinquishing control over its mineral resources or entering into any military pact with France.

NAN recalls that the minister on Dec. 1,  announced an MOU with France to develop joint projects to promote and diversify the value chain of the critical minerals in the solid minerals sector of both countries.

The partnership is also to open opportunities for the remediation of more than 2,000 abandoned pits in the country through environmental rehabilitation and post-mining projects intervention plans.

“The high point of the MOU is on training and capacity building for our mining professionals.

“We need all the assistance we can get in terms of capacity, technical, and financial support from abroad, and that wasn’t even the first we are signing,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Chioma Ugboma