Nasarawa Secures Mining Licence, Targets Increased Revenue
The Nasarawa State Government has secured a mining licence from the Federal Government to enable the state to participate in mining activities.
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the monthly activities of the state government.
Briefing journalists on some of the major activities of the Nasarawa State Government, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, explained that the state government had secured a mining licence from the Federal Government to enable it to engage in mining activities aimed at generating more revenue for the state.
Ahemba said that, to achieve this objective, the state government had entered into an agreement with lithium mining companies operating within the Endo community in Nasarawa Local Government Area.
He said the agreement had already fetched the state N2.6 billion, part of which would be used to execute projects that have direct benefits for the mining communities.
While stating that arrangements had been concluded for the construction of rural roads across the 13 Local Government Areas of the state in no distant time, Ahemba also disclosed that Governor Abdullahi Sule had approved the sum of N2 billion to address the pension backlog in the state, beginning from 2023.
On the issue of education, the Governor’s aide explained that, aside from awarding the construction of three modern schools, one in each senatorial district, the State Universal Basic Education Board, under the directive of the Governor, had also concluded processes for the recruitment of 1,000 qualified primary school teachers, who are waiting to be issued appointment letters to commence teaching.
Ahemba also explained that the state government, through the State Universal Basic Education Board, had procured over 1,000 exercise books, school uniforms, sandals, and other instructional materials for distribution across public schools to address the issue of out-of-school children in the state.
The press briefing featured a call by the Governor’s aide for politicians not to overheat the political space, stressing that the government would always provide an enabling environment for peace to reign.
In a related submission, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Juliana Ofoku, assured the state government of her organisation’s support to ensure its success.
