Date: 2018-11-21

Kwara State House of Assembly said it would ensure adequate funding of the newly constituted State Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO) to enable the state derive maximum benefits from its abundant mineral resources.

The speaker of the House, Dr. Ali Ahmad gave the assurance in Ilorin while receiving members of the committee led by its chairman, Engineer Abubakar Idris in his office.

Ahmad who expressed delight over the establishment of the committee by the federal government, said the committee would enable the state to have alternative sources of funding, to enable the people of the state, enjoy more dividends of democracy.

The speaker disclosed that the House was passionate in ensuring that the state harnessed its abundant mineral deposits, pointing out that the legislature would ensure that the state government has its own mining outfits to enable the state harness full revenue potentials in the mineral sector.

The chairman of the House Ad-Hoc Committee on Mineral Resources, Hon. Hassan Oyeleke, recalled how the intervention of the House led to the setting up of the committee by the federal government and prevented communal clash between Kaiama and Baruteen local government areas of the state. He noted that illegal mining activities had made some states to claim what rightly belong to the state.

Oyeleke expressed confidence that the setting up of the state mining committee would be beneficial to the state as earlier envisaged by the House.

The chairman of MIREMCO, Engr Abubakar Idris, who had earlier enumerated the benefits the state would derive from the setting up of the committee, urged the legislature to give the needed support to ensure that the state is self-sustaining.

Idris said the committee was in the House to sensitise legislators on salient issues on mining activities and urged the House to ensure proper funding of the state Ministry of Industry and Solid Mineral Development, to enable the state properly harness abundant mineral deposits in the state.

It would be recalled that the House had last year sent a high powered delegation to the governor on the need to fast track the process of constituting the committee to enable the state, among other things, enjoy 13 per cent derivation from its numerous mineral resources being harnessed by illegal miners.