Dele Alake, the Minister of Solid Minerals, has remarked that foreign illegal miners were the ones sponsoring banditry in Nigeria.
Alake had stated this during a briefing for state house correspondents shortly after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting at the State House in FCT, Abuja on Monday, October 23.
The Minister had however, made assurances that his ministry was taking steps to drive new technologies into the mining sector to fight the challenge and help Nigeria to have optimum benefits from the solid minerals sector.
According to Alake, his ministry was working together with the Nigerian armed military and other security agencies in the country to improve security in the areas where solid minerals were in abundance in the country.
Alake revealed that the Federal Executive Council had endorsed a draft policy document on the solid minerals sector which listed the measures to be taken for proper and effective utilization of the country’s mineral resources.
Lastly, he expressed his confidence that solid minerals will soon become a principle source of funding for the country’s budget.
