Alhaji Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence, has said that the federal government has lifted the ban on mining in Zamfara to boost economic activities and raise the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State.
The minister, the immediate past Governor of Zamfara, made the disclosure at a dinner session organised to host stakeholders of All Progressives Congress (APC), Zamfara chapter held yesterday – Sunday, December 22 – in Gusau, the State capital..
Matawalle said the government lifted the ban in order to attract both foreign and domestic investors in the area of solid minerals “which is abundant in the state,” and equally give opportunity to local businessmen to obtain licenses and engage in solid mineral exploration.
He observed that with the exploitation of gold and other solid minerals, the state IGR would certainly increase, adding that the federal government has also made it a policy that companies are to be established in the States where raw materials are based.
“By doing so, the indigenes of the states will have job opportunities and at the same time boost economic engagements, thereby improving their living standard,” he said.
Speaking on the Presidential Tax Reform, Matawalle said it was designed to raise more revenue for both federal and state governments by creating more economic advantages to citizens.
The minister reiterated the commitment of the federal government to the ongoing construction of a dual carriage road from Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto State to Badagry in Lagos, noting that the road, when completed, would open up a vast economic corridor between the coastal south and the Savannah north.
He said the road construction would no doubt open so many economic potentials for the Northerners. (NAN)
