By Grace Ademulegun
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has slammed a 90-day ultimatum on Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO) to improve its performance or risk severe penalties from the federal government.
Alake slammed the ultimatum at the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of MIREMCO Chairmen, where expressed voiced his displeasure with the committee’s existing production and its incapacity to successfully carry out its statutory task.
MIREMCO was created in accordance with Section 19, sub-section 3 (g) of the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act (NMMA) 2007 with the responsibility of serving as a liaison between host communities and mining operators, as well as among the federal, state, and local governments.
Among its duties are reporting on the operations of mining operators, guaranteeing adherence to environmental standards, and reducing conflicts within the industry.
“The Nigerian Government depends on your reports on operators’ activities and their compliance with environmental and other regulations,” Alake said in his speech, emphasising the committee’s crucial role in the development of the mining sector of the economy.
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“We will not hesitate to wield the big stick if the committee fails to turn a new leaf,” he said, warning that there would be dire repercussions if the situation did not improve within the allotted period.
The minister noted that subnational authorities have been widely interfering in mining activities as a result of MIREMCO’s mandate not being implemented effectively, which has, according to him, led to mine closures and policy choices that are outside the purview of local governments.
Alake believed that if the committee had operated as the NMMA intended, such acts—which are frequently unconstitutional—could have been reduced.
The structure of the committee guarantees that the interests of state governments are represented, which, apparently, is why Alake emphasised the significance of sub-national participation in MIREMCO’s operations. State officials nominate the chairman and five of the committee’s ten members.
Notwithstanding this inclusive structure, the minister criticised the committee’s failure to effectively balance the interests of all parties involved.
Alake promised to lobby for more financing in the fiscal year 2025 to expand MIREMCO’s operational capability and to contact with the committee on a regular basis in response to concerns expressed during the AGM.
He implored chairmen to mobilise their members to successfully fulfil the committee’s responsibilities, stressing that increased performance and accountability are still non-negotiable.
