OPINION

COME TO REASON WITH ME, PLEASE

Yesterday, I attended the official commissioning of the largest lithium processing factory in the country situated at Kama Otto, Udege Development Area of Nasarawa State by President Bola Tinubu who was represented by the Senate President, Sen. Goodwill Akpabio. 

This multi-million Dollar worth of investment in my dear local government by Avatar New Energy Materials Co Ltd, including similar ones spread across the Area - as there are many other companies exploring varieties of mineral resources, including the ones in Udege-Mbeki, Endo, etc, underscores our position as key drivers in the mining sector. 

Solid minerals provide wide range of opportunities for job creation, revenue generation, foreign exchange, technological advancements, among other advantages, all of which have the tendency to stabilize Nigerian economy, deal with youth restiveness and crime. 

Communities hosting investors, domestic and foreign, deserve commendation. Without them consenting to the presence of the said investors and showing hospitality, this huge success would not have been recorded. Worthy of commendation are the duo of His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, the Nasarawa State Governor and Hon. Mohammed Sani Otto the Nasarawa Local Government Council Chairman all of whom created the enable environment for investment, went out of their ways to woo investors and remain true to their desire for investment friendliness with a view to make the Area more economically viable.

What impresses me the more is government commitment to both local infusion and value addition. Host communities are advised not to alienate their parcels of lands for any price - as obtained in the recent past, but lease them out. This means, at the expiration of lease agreements, and of course, mining licenses, the lands reverts to host communities, a win-win situation for them. 

In one of the programmes I participated, which was organized by Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development in collaboration with African Center for Leadership, Strategy and Development, where host communities and relevant stakeholders in the sector were sensitized on the revised guidelines for Community Development Agreement, the need for companies to live to their social corporate responsibilities were emphasized. 

With these in place, and government policy on local processing of raw minerals - as against the old practice of exporting them, much is expected from the sector, especially for my people who are naturally blessed with the free gift of nature; abundance of solid minerals. 

For this to happen however, we must cherish peace, give it a chance to flourish and commit to its sustenance, otherwise lose everything. The future is bright for all of us in many aspects; agriculture, mining, relevant skills, technology, business, education, name them. It is therefore high time we set aside the non-existent wall of unfounded grievances that has pushed us into avoidable conflicts so we may gain optimally from our vast fertile and rich minerals reality. 

Yahaya Abdulrahman writes from Nasarawa, Nasarawa Local Government Area, Nasarawa State.

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