Solid Minerals Earns N33.8bn In 2013 – NEITI

The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Mr Waziri Adio unveiled that the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development made N33.8 billion in 2013. He said that the amount was grossly inadequate and unacceptable.

“This is grossly inadequate and under reported, because we have minerals all over this country, there is no state that does not have one mineral that can be used for commercial purposes.

“The N33.8 billion came from lime stones, laterite, granite and from cement companies,’’ he said.

He said the bulk of the money was paid by companies that were not from the sector but manufacturing and construction corporations that used the sector’s by-products.

“The payment that is being reported is the money paid by Julius Berger, Dangote and other companies.’’

According to him, the sector is dominated by artisanal miners that are not paying tax, royalty but posing great health and environmental hazard.

“In our report for 2013, the contribution of solid mineral sector to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) was 0.13 per cent and this is a sector that used to contribute five per cent in the 60s.’’

Adio said that government should pay more attention and focus on the sector both vertically and horizontally, adding that there was no record of payment made on precious metal and stones.

“We are not getting payment from states on solid minerals; Dangote alone paid 53 per cent of the revenue for the sector in 2013.

“The lead poison that occurred in Zafara was as result of gold that was mined, there is gold in Kaduna, Osun, coal in Enugu and bitumen everywhere and no record of revenue collected in the states.

He said that NEITI had published four reports on solid mineral sector, adding that the organisation was not only concentrating on oil and gas sector.

He said that the reports had served as critical input into the ministry’s activities and the recommendations also helped the sector while preparing its road map.