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General News of Tuesday, 20 April 2021

Source: thenationonlineng.net

Wike urges federal govt to allow states manage their resources 

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has called for restructuring to allow the federating units to control their resources and pay royalties to the Federal Government.

He said such restructuring became necessary because the Federal Government, which unilaterally controlled the country’s resources, could not translate them to economic development.

Wike spoke on Monday when the Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Uchechukwu Ogah, visited him at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

The governor said for Nigeria to benefit from its vast mineral resources, the Federal Government should concentrate on the formulation of policies that would facilitate improvement in the governance of the mining sector, to improve citizens’ welfare.

He said: “The Federal Government is carrying load it is not supposed to carry. Allow states to develop these minerals and pay a royalty to the Federal Government. This the way it is supposed to be.

"Wike urged the minister to push for reforms that would enable states and local governments to take charge of mining of solid minerals in their domains and then pay tax to the Federal Government.

"It is very important for people to know that part of the problems in this country is that everybody is depending on oil when we are also supposed to look at other minerals. Minerals play a great role in terms of raising revenue for any country. So, our emphasis on oil has reduced our impact on other minerals,” he said.

The governor noted that if the country fully harnessed gold deposit in Zamfara State as well as minerals in other states, Nigeria would make huge revenue to accelerate development.

He lamented that despite the possibility of the Ajaokuta Steel Company project generating huge revenue for the country and creating about 3,000 jobs, the Federal Government, for political reasons, had failed to actualise the aspiration to become a major player in the global steel industry.

Wike said state governments were prepared to collaborate with the Federal Government to develop the mineral sector.

Ogah told the governor that he was in the state to share with him the vision and policy focus of the Federal Government for the development of the nation’s solid mineral resources.

He said his visit was to solicit the support and partnership of the Rivers State Government to ensure orderly and efficient exploitation of huge deposits of silica sand, glass sand and clay used for construction and glass manufacturing.