Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite has urged the National Assembly (NASS) to make effort towards increasing budgetary allocation to the sector.
The Minister made the appeal when he appeared before the House Committee on Mines and House Committee on Steel to brief them on the activities of the Ministry.
Adegbite in a statement said the ministry had worked out modalities to improve on the efforts and legacies of successive Ministers in the sector.
He acknowledged the initiatives and efforts of past ministers which according to him have started materialising, most especially in the establishment of Agencies such as Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) and the Nigeria Geological Survey Agencies (NGSA).
Adegbite informed the committees that the agencies under the Ministry are undergoing reforms to ensure optimal performance.
“We have started out by first identifying the potentials within the Ministry, so some of the activities being carried out is to first of all assess all the pro that the agencies as well as department of the Ministry are having and what needs to be done,” he said.
The Chairman House Committee on Mines, Hon. Michael Enyong in his remarks acknowledged the desires of the two Ministers to turn things around in the sector and promised that the committee would align themselves with their patriotic desires to ensure that the programme and policies of government in solid minerals is achieved.
On his part, the Chairman House Committee on Steel, Hon. Abdullahi Halims said the Committee would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the steel industry works.
“We will support the ministry by way of legislation and active interaction to ensure that the steel industry which is standing between the poverty and the riches of the country becomes a major player in the industry”, he further explained.
