Nasarawa State To Develop Data Base For Licensing Miners – Governor Sule

BY AHMED TUKUR, LAFIA – The Nasarawa state government has concluded plans towards developing a data base for the licensing of miners operating in the state.
Governor Abdullahi Sule, who announced this during the inauguration of a 13 member Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), committee on Tuesday in Lafia, the state capital, said the constitution of the committee was necessitated by the commitment to enhance the socio-economic status of the State.
Sule said the drive is to provide alternative sources of revenue generation to improve expenditure on projects, programmes and policies geared towards the overall development of the State.
He urged the committee to advise government on new sources of revenue and on how to go about collating them.
The Governor reeled out the terms of reference of the committee to include; “To identify and collate data of all Licensed Miners operating in the State.
“To advise Government on the need to set up a Special Purpose Vehicle on solid minerals developments in the State.
“To identify all sources of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State within the confines of the law and workout mechanisms of harnessing these revenues.”
Governor Sule also mandated the committee to ensure that revenue collated is remitted in a Treasury Single Account (TSA) of the state.
“To device and monitor the collection of the Internally Generated Revenue from all sources and ensure their remittance to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) of the State”
“To identify and block leakages in the collection and remittance of Internally Generated Revenues”
“To examine and recommend (where necessary) the review of Laws on collection of Internally Generated Revenue (fees, fines, licenses.”
The committee, Governor Sule said is also expected to liaise with all ministries and departments that are directly in charge of lease agreements between the state government.
He further said; “To identify and liaise with all MDAs executing Lease Agreements between the State Governments and affected investors with a view to preparing a database in that regard for effective coordination.”