Kaduna Assembly To Partner NMCO On Minerals Development

By Georgina Humphrey

The Kaduna State House of Assembly is to partner the Nigeria Mining Cadastre office, NMCO, on adequate use of the state endowed mineral resources to address the economic challenges in the state.

Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Magaji Henry Danjuma stated this when he led members of the Zone 3 in the assembly on a visit to the Director General of the Nigeria mining Cadastre office, Simon Obadiah Nkom in Abuja.

Danjuma lamented that the state has been sitting on wealth but had not been able to ultilize it due to ignorance.

He added that it is time for the DG to educate them, so that they can transfer it to the masses.

“We have been highly educated by the DG on the activities of the agancy,. Like he rightly pointed that we are sitting on wealth but couldn’t tap due to ignorance, so we need to be educated the more so that we can adequately use the minerals in our land” he noted.

The lawmaker explained that they are in the nation’s capital for a retreat and decided to use the opportunity to pay a courtesy visit to the Director General of the NMCO whose appointment was renewed.

“We are in the nation’s capital for a retreat and felt that it is an opportunity to come felicitate with our own son whom over his renewed appointment as the director general of MCO, we felt that it will be nice for us to come and show him our support and solidarity” Danjuma stated.

“We all know that the government is shifting from oil to solid minerals and we are in support because the oil sector has been over tapped and it is no longer meeting the demands of Nigerians as it used to.

Danjuma explained that their visit was to have first hand information on the solid minerial sector to educate and sensitize investors who want to key into the sector but lack knowledge of it.

“We want to have greater knowledge of the sector because there are a lot of illegal mining and also many people who want to go into mining but don’t know how to go about it” he added.

“Since we represent the people, we would like a situation where we will have vast ideas so that we can educate our people because if the needful is done it will go a long way in reducing the economic challenges faced by the people of Kaduna state” the deputy speaker emphasized.

Responding, the Director General of the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, Simon Obadiah Nkom expressed satisfaction with the lawmakers identifying with the agency and pledged to work with them for development of the state.

“I feel highly honored to have you, You are all welcome to Mining Cadastral Office.This is the first time we are being recognized by the Kaduna state house of assembly and we are very honored to have you” Nkom stated.

Acccording to Nkom, Kaduna State is said to be one of the states that is heavily endowed in terms of minerals.

“The Kaduna state government have a special proposed vehicle in the name of Kaduna mining development company and they have been able to have a number of licenses cutting across very valuable minerals over the years believing that there will be adequate development through it” he stressed.

Edited By Grace Namiji