From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has said his government is taking the necessary steps to diversify the state’s economy, especially by developing the solid minerals sector.
The governor stated this yesterday through his deputy, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe when she received the executive members of the Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers on a courtesy visit at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.
Dr Balarabe who noted that Kaduna state is endowed with several mineral resources across the 23 LGAs said, the administration “has taken very important and significant steps to diversify the state’s economy because what we need is a kind of sustainability and stability of the state.
“There is a lot that needs to be done in Kaduna and relying on only one source of revenue will not augur well for the state. So we are looking at other sectors to see how we can get in as much as we can because we have to live by our name as the capital of northern Nigeria.
She further said the state government is sustaining the investment drive started by the previous administration to woo more investments, especially in the mining sector, adding that professional bodies like the Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers have a role to play in supporting the state government’s effort.
“We have held seven Kaduna Investment Summits, Kadinvest and we will soon host Kadinvest 8.0. So we have been open for business and we have expanded our frontiers. So there are so many things we can do together with professionals like you to expand our frontiers into other sectors like mining.
”I want to use this opportunity to extend our appreciation for all that you have been doing here in Kaduna and so much more that you will continue to do for us.
“We are not yet where we want to be, there is still a lot of work to be done. I think you’re being here and what you are going to discuss at your Annual General Meeting and International Conference will help not only Kaduna but other northern states to be able to make an inroads in the mining sector.
The Deputy Governor appealed for the support of the Nigerian Society of Mining Engineers in addressing illegal mining, which she said is a big challenge in the sector. She said, “This is where we must all put our hands on deck so that the government and the organized private sector can make good of what is available for the benefit of the state”.
