Jos — The National chairman of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Mr. Sunday Ekozin, has called on the federal government to support medium and large scale indigenous miners by way of grants and loans from the current approved US$120m issued by the World Bank and from direct Government financial intervention.

He said the loans should attract very low interest rates to develop the mining sector so as to actualise the seven strategic minerals plan of the Federal Government. Ekozin who stated this while briefing newsmen in Jos over the weekend, said there is need for the urgent release of all funds due to the mining sector, saying the potentials in the sector needs to be developed urgently.

The chairman added that Nigeria's strive for technological development can only be attained through the harnessing of the potentials of the mining sector which he says requires huge funding to develop. He stressed that as operators in the mining sector, the miners strongly recommend public private partnership in the development of this sector; saying they are prepared to partner with the federal government through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to develop the sector. The chairman suggested that in order to realise this goal, the world Bank loan the federal government got for the purpose of boosting mining activities in the country be used for the much needed technological and wealth creation requirement for the mining industry" He said this is because the great potential inherent in the solid minerals can only be transformed into wealth creation if there is adequate funding of all categories of indigenous miners in the country. Ekozin commended the efforts of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Sarafa Tunji Ishola, towards empowering the lowest of the operators in the mining industry in Nigeria with the release of a grant of US$10 million .