The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) on Friday urged the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) to be ready to work with it to mobilise revenue from the solid minerals sector to boost the economy.

The chairman of the Commission, Elias Mbam, was speaking in Abuja when the executive of the Miners Association led by its President, Sani Shehu, visited him in his office.

The Chairman said he still recalled the glorious era when Nigeria depended heavily on revenues from the solid minerals sector for the execution of its development programmes, provision of infrastructure and other basic services.

He said in the face of dwindling oil revenue, with declining crude oil prices at the international market, there is need for all hands to be on deck to mobilise revenue from all available sources, to help create jobs and provide the infrastructure towards improved socio-economic living conditions of the populace.

While commending the association for their interest in the growth and development of the solid minerals sector in spite challenges, Mr. Mbam pledged to partner with them in the quest to diversify the country’s economy.

He said the Commission has supported the development of the sector through the Natural Resources Fund (NRF) in the Central Bank, adding that the sector has contributed over N2 billion into the Federation Account.

President of the Association, Sani Shehu, disclosed that MAN, an umbrella organization of private individuals, corporate bodies and minerals bearing communities involved in all aspects of the development of the mining industry, has over four thousand members in all parts of the country.

Mr. Shehu lamented the inability of the solid mineral sector to provide significant employment to the people and substantial revenue to the government due to the discovery of oil in the country.

He said the situation was worsened by the indigenization policy of the then Federal Government, which discouraged foreign investments as well as the collapse of the international tin market in the 70s and 80s.

“Indeed it is disturbing to observe that our local industries largely depend on imported minerals such as Gypsum, Barite, Talc, Kaolin as their raw materials, despite the availability of such minerals in Nigeria,” he said.

The association’s president also expressed dismay that base metals, such as tin, columbite, lead, zinc, tantalite and gemstones, were being exported without any value addition to the economy.

The development, he explained, has deprived the operators of an excellent price, apart from deepening the unemployment problems the country is currently facing.

Mr. Shehu said he was disappointed that previous efforts aimed at transforming the solid minerals sector by successive administrations did not bring the desired impact.

Identifying poor funding as the biggest challenge the industry was facing, the MAN boss called for the immediate intervention of the government to bring the sector back as a foremost economic sector in the country.

He made a case for the prompt implementation of the provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act section 38a on the Solid Mineral Development Fund.

The fund shall consist of any appropriation for solid minerals development under the Revenue Act or any other federal law, to promote the development of the non-oil sector of the economy, especially the solid minerals.