Miners under the aegis of the Miners Association of Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to state how it will disburse the N30 billion Mining Intervention Fund released in 2016 for exploration.
The association’s National Secretary, Mr. Dele Ayanleke, told newsmen in Abuja that the government would release the criteria and that miners would be involved in the fund’s disbursement. Ayanleke recalled that some years back, the World Bank released funds for the mining sector, but they were used for other purposes.
He said 2016 was a year full of challenges for miners. According to him, some were attacked and killed during mining. Illegal miners also hampered mining. Ayanleke said the Mines Inspectorate Department of the Ministry of Solid Minerals saddled with monitoring mine sites was incapacitated by lack of funds.