Nigeria: Press spotlights unveiling of 2,200 new mining marshals, others

The report that the Nigerian Government through the Ministry of Solid Development Minerals has secured the services of 2,220 security personnel under a new security architecture with the mandate to smoke out illegal miners and all those who flout the nation’s mining laws is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Friday.
The Punch reports that the Nigerian Government through the Ministry of Solid Development Minerals has secured the services of 2,220 security personnel under a new security architecture with the mandate to smoke out illegal miners and all those who flout the nation’s mining laws.
It also charged the new operatives to stem theft and all nefarious activities around the nation’s mineral resources to enable the nation to reap maximum benefits from its God-given resources.
The Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Dele Alake, gave this charge when he received the specially trained officers drafted from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps code-named “Mining Marshal Corps” at the ministry’s headquarters on Thursday in Abuja.
This latest development came two months after President Bola Tinubu established an inter-ministerial committee led by the Solid Minerals minister to deliberate on modalities in achieving its mandate of producing a blueprint for securing the country’s natural resources including solid minerals, forests, and marine economy.
With a command structure spread across the 36 states and the FCT, the mining marshals will have their command and control domiciled in the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, with 60 operatives first deployed in each state of the federation and the FCT.
The newspaper says that 16 state governors have submitted reports expressing their supports for establishing state police to the National Economic Council.
They also recommended changes to the constitution to allow for the creation of state police.
The reports were amongst documentations received at the 140th NEC meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
Special Adviser to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed Thursday titled, ‘NEC endorses take-off of $617M i-DICE programme across states.’
According to the statement, NEC is still awaiting reports from 20 states. It expressed confidence that others would support.
NEC was established by the provisions of section 153(1) and Paragraphs 18 & 19 of part I of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). Its membership comprises the 36 state governors, the Governor of the Central Bank and other co-opted government officials.
Chaired by the Vice President, NEC meets monthly to execute its mandate of “advising the President concerning the economic affairs of the Federation, and in particular on measures necessary for the coordination of the economic planning efforts or economic programmes of the various Governments of the Federation.”
The Guardian newspaper reports that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC, on Wednesday disclosed that it would be partnering with the Niger State Government to boost electricity supply to the state through the ‘Light up Niger 2024’ initiative.
The company in a statement in Abuja explained that the initiative would be implemented in collaboration with the state government to ensure a steady power supply to Nigerlites.
AEDC disclosed that the partnership was agreed upon when a delegation led by its Chief Operations Officer, Eng. Chijioke Okwuokenye visited Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago at the Government House, Minna.
Bago, who described the initiative as a welcome development, pointed out that Niger State hosts four hydro dams which contribute about 60 percent of electricity supply in Nigeria.
He also observed that power supply “is key to development especially as the state is moving into an industrialization era and processing zone”.
He expressed optimism that the ‘Light Up Niger’ project will also proffer solution to the metering challenge in the State, adding that the Electricity Act 2023 has been domesticated in the State and that the Niger State Electricity Regulatory Commission has been created.
He further stated that the necessary paperwork for the Regulatory Commission will soon be completed so that the State can start generating and distributing its own power.
On his part, the COO, AEDC, Engr. Okwuokenye explained that the ‘Light Up Niger’ project, when it takes off, will pave way for greater things to come as the whole scope is to come up with the best measures that will improve and sustain electricity supply to Niger State.
He commended the support of the Bago-led administration through the supply of transformers to communities, saying that the private sector needs such support for survival and assured that the company is willing to continue to partner with the State Government for the desired result.
The newspaper says that in what seems to be a manifestation of the desired objective of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), intra-African trade increased by 6 percent in 2023, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has reported.
AfCFTA was established in 2018, and kick-started in 2021, to create a single market for goods and services, facilitated by movement of persons in order to deepen the economic integration of the African continent, connecting 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) valued at $3.4 trillion.
The latest Global Trade Update released by UNCTAD, yesterday, noted that while global trade contracted by 3 percent in 2023, trade between African economies bucked the global trend by increasing 6 percent in the year.
The United Nations trade agency however expects international trade to rebound in 2024. It noted that preliminary figures indicate a $1 trillion contraction in global trade in 2023, driven primarily by subdued demand in developed nations and weaker trade within East Asia and Latin American regions, adding that while trade in goods decreased during 2023, trade in services continued to grow, signaling resilience amidst challenging conditions.
UNCTAD stated: “In 2023, global trade saw a 3% contraction, equaling roughly $1 trillion, compared to the record high of $32 trillion in 2022. Despite this decline, the services sector showed resilience with a $500 billion, or 8%, increase from the previous year, while trade in goods experienced a $1.3 trillion, or 5%, decline compared to 2022.
“The fourth quarter of 2023 marked a departure from previous quarters, with both merchandise and services trade stabilizing quarter-over-quarter. Developing countries, especially those in the African, East Asian and South Asian regions, experienced growth in trade during this period.
“While major economies generally saw a decline in merchandise trade throughout 2023, certain exceptions emerged, like the Russian Federation, which exhibited notable volatility in trade statistics. Towards the end of 2023, trade in goods saw growth in several major economies, including China (+5% imports) and India (+5% exports), although it declined for the Russian Federation and the European Union.
“During 2023, trade performance diverged between developing and developed countries, with the former experiencing a decline of approximately 4% and the latter around 6%. South-South trade, or trade between developing economies, saw a steeper decline of about 7%. However, these trends reversed in the last quarter of 2023, with developing countries and South-South trade resuming growth while trade in developed countries remained stable.
GIK/APA