Tunde Bakare
The Kwara State government has reiterated its support for the efforts of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in checking illegal mining activities in the state.
The State Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development, Abdulquiwiy Olododo gave this assurance on Monday, September 25, 2023 when he led the management staff of the Ministry on a courtesy visit to the Commander, Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC, Michael Nzekwe, at the Commission’s Office, GRA, Ilorin.
He disclosed that, “the government of Mallam Abdulrasaq Abdulrahman, is determined to declare a state of emergency in the mining sector with a view towards ensuring that money realised from the sector are used for the development of the state.”
Olododo, while passing a vote of confidence on the Commission for its courage and doggedness in fighting illegal mining activities in the state said that, “the governor is firmly in support of what EFCC is doing particularly its efforts in checking unauthorized mining activities and other economic crimes in the State.”
According to him, “the government is not unaware of the challenges you are facing in carrying out this arduous task”, stressing that “the government of Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq is determined to complement your efforts as it is focused on how to properly harness the potentials in the mining sector to attract local and foreign investors.”
In his remarks, Nzekwe commended Governor Abdulrasaq for appointing young and vibrant people into his cabinet, adding that Honourable Olododo would no doubt turn the sector around for good.
According to him, “Kwara is enormously endowed with mineral deposits and the resources available in the 16 Local Government Areas of the State are enough to turn it to a ‘small London’, if properly harnessed.”
The Zonal Commander chronicled the efforts of the EFCC in checking the menace of illegal mining, which culminated in the arrest of no fewer than 80 suspects within the last ten months. While lamenting the rate at which the resources of the state are being plundered by artisanal miners, he said that “the resources, if channeled through the right sources and put into good use are enough to sustain the economy of the state and make it self-reliant.”
He added that, “the fight against corruption particularly illegal mining requires the support of every individual for it to succeed” and assured that “the Commission will spare no effort in ensuring the enforcement of all extant laws against illegal miners and corrupt individuals in the state.”