BY TheCable
The ministry of mines and steel development says the BUA Group is engaged in illegal mining of marble and limestone in Okpella, Edo state.
BUA had in a newspaper advert, addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, accused some officials of the ministry of colluding with the Dangote Group to send militia to attack its cement plant in Okpella.
But in a press statement signed by Mohammed Abass, the permanent secretary, and shared with TheCable on Tuesday, the ministry denied the allegation, insisting that it stopped BUA from mining the minerals because it was doing so illegally.
Abass wrote: “The attention of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has been drawn to a misleading publication signed by the Executive Chairman of the BUA Group Abdulsamad Rabiu (pictured), published in several newspapers as an open letter to the President and titled: ‘A cry for Help: Wanton Abuse of Power By a Serving Minister Geared at Sabotaging Operations of BUA Cement.’
“The publication which is an unwarranted campaign of calumny against the Ministry and the office of the Honourable Minister, is nothing but an attempt by the cement company to blackmail the Ministry into granting a free pass for illegal operations.
“While the Ministry does not intend to join issues with the BUA Group which has an enviable history of industrial performance, we deem it appropriate, however, to state the facts for the purpose of enlightening members of the public as follows:
“While the Ministry restates its commitment to promoting local and global investments in the Nigerian mining sector, it has always maintained that due process must be followed, especially in line with the provisions of the Minerals and Mining Act 2007. This, we shall not compromise.”
Nigeria has lost over $9 billion to illegal mining in the last two years, the federal executive council said recently.
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