By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Olusade Adesola, has explained the FCT Mining Department and Allied Matters was established to ensure all activities in the sector is properly coordinated for improved Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, and to boost the socio-economic activities in the territory.
Adesola who explained this while receiving a delegation from the National Steel Council of Nigeria, led by the Executive Secretary, Amb. Abdulkadir Musafari, said there are a lot of illegal mining activities that are going on in the FCT.
He emphazied that although the FCT has a lot of ongoing infrastural projects to cater for the wellbeing of residents, but inadequate funding has neccesitated the reason to widen the scope to other sectors such as Mining to compliment the allocation from the Federal Government.
Adesola charged the leadership of the newly created Department of Solid Minerals and Allied Matters, to come up with policies that would end illegal mining and enhance the development of the sector.
The Permanent Secretary commended the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, for approving the creation of the department.
Executive Secretary of the National Steel Council, Amb. Abdulkadir Musafari said they were in the FCT to solicit partnership and support of the administration to strengthen its operation.
Musafari said that the responsibility of the Council is to regulate the Steel sub-sector of the Nigerian Economy to ensure that it conforms with the Acts that established it in 1979.
He stated that Abuja is a developing city, and there are a lot of constructions that are going on in the Territory, which falls under the responsibility of the Council to ensure that Steels that are used by the construction companies are strong enough to support buildings and other structures.
According to Musafari, Ajaokuta which was created at the same time as the FCT is expected to serve as an economic zone for the country but regretted that not much has been achieved in the development of the Steel sector.
