The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu has stated that if elected, his government will address obstacles in the mining sector, particularly the difficulty of illegal mining, as political campaigns intensify ahead of the 2023 general elections.
In Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Thursday, during a strategic town hall on mining and security, Tinubu made the pledge, telling participants in the mining industry that he was more interested in finding answers to the issues facing the country than sparring with rival presidential candidates.
“I promise you, we will dismantle all bottlenecks, all blockades, illegal mining, and exploitation that doesn’t bring profit to Nigeria. I promise you, we will have an accelerated economic development programme to make you alive, and your children benefit from the prosperity that is coming to you,” the former Lagos State governor said.
“It’s about stability, development, justice, and fairness, and it’s about freedom. It doesn’t give us the freedom of insults and abuse. It gives us the freedom to focus on the immediate problems confronting our people to find solutions to them, conquer the problem, and bring joy and happiness to the people. And that is what we are here to do.”
The APC presidential candidate, in a series of tweets, also noted that he paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Lafia Sidi Bage Muhammad
Mining has the potential to become a critical part of the industrial development promised in our Renewed Hope Manifesto. We will do what is necessary to secure the future for Nigeria through more investments, enabling legislation, and systems that will enable the mining sector to thrive,” he said.