FG lifts ban on mining to boost Zamfara IGR – Minister

Alhaji Bello Matawalle, Minister of State for Defence, says President Bola Tinubu has lifted the ban on mining in Zamfara to boost economic activities and raise the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.

The minister made the disclosure at a dinner session organised to host stakeholders of All Progressives Congress (APC), Zamfara chapter held in Gusau on Sunday.

Matawalle said the rationale behind lifting the ban on mining was 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 license and engage in the exploration.

He observed that with exploration of gold and other solid minerals, the state IGR would certainly increase.

The minister said that the president had also made it as a policy that companies were to be established in the states where raw materials were based.

“By so doing, 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.

He said the road construction would no doubt open so many economic potentials for the Northerners.