Business
Expert Okays FG’s Monitoring Of Mining Sites
A stakeholder in Nigeria’s mining sector, Mr Patrick Odiegwu, yesterday said that the Federal Government’s monitoring of activities at the mining sites was crucial to sustaining the sector.
He said in Abuja that proper visibility and information were necessary to ensure the sustainability of the sector.
Odiegwu, who is National Publicity Secretary of Association of Miners and Processors of Barite (AMAPOB), noted that once everybody played to the rules of engagement, the mining sector would be sustainable and its potential would be fully harnessed.
He decried the activities of the informal miners, describing them as a problem to the sector.
“This can be looked at from two angles; from a company that had a licence to explore, and then turn around to use same to exploit; or people who are not licensed and are trying to extract mineral deposits.
“I won’t say there is a predominantly rampant mining being done by companies that are not licensed, but few individuals and host communities gather where events had been exposed, and try to take advantage of what they can find,” he said.
Odiegwu called for proper monitoring of activities of informal miners through relevant agencies or the Ministry of Solid Mineral and Steel Development.
According to him, all parties must be fully switched on to ensure that there is no gap, adding that all hands must be on deck, to ensure the full potential of the mining sector.
He said that the host communities should be well informed about their rights and privileges to avoid being exploited by selfish mining companies.
“Naturally, it is going to be a very big problem; poverty persists and that is where government has a responsibility to sensitise mining host communities.
“It is the responsibility of government to ensure that citizens are always aware of their rights, especially in this regard; and there is a legal provision for it in the Mining Act,” he said.
The AMAPOB scribe noted that before exploration, mining companies were expected to sign an agreement with the host communities and the government.
According to him, the impact of mining affects everybody either positively or negatively, adding that the essence of host communities could not be understated.
Odiegwu said that for mining operations to be successful, host communities had to be carried along, adding that any mining company that kept host communities in abeyance would not have a sustainable structure and a successful operation.
“The sustainability of every mining company is linked to a very stable host community that knows what the company is doing and gets their benefit accordingly.
“But fundamentally, it should be the responsibility of government to ensure that everybody behaves, that the host community gets what is due to it, and state gets the revenue it requires.
“We should be an informed society; if we are informed, everybody will know their rights and behave themselves accordingly,” Odiegwu said.
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor