a country is blessed with abundance
Nigeria as a country is
blessed with abundance of many resources which include stones, precious metals
and minerals. Following the history of the Nigerian mining, In the early 70s,
Nigeria was a major importer of coal, tin, and columbite, as such, Nigeria made
a lot or revenue from the exportation process. However, this exportation
process and other activities in the mining sector suffered premature death when
crude oil was discove
find red.
Many Nigerians have
argued and made a lot of presentations on the need for the country to come up
with more sectors and multiply the revenue streams of the country. When
democracy gained prominence in 1999, President Obasanjo worked tirelessly in
putting
house in place a mechanism for diversification of the country’s revenue and
as far as the mining sector is concerned, the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act
was inau
It should be noted that
though over 40 different minerals are scattered across Nigeria, some of them
are not available in commercial quantities. The Ministry of Mines and Steel
Development in its
business mining sector reformation strategy identified seven (7)
minerals for strategic and priority development. The identified minerals are
Iron ore, Coal, Lead/Zinc, Bitumen, Gold, Limestone and Barite. Mining Sector’s Legal and Regulatory Framework. The Nigerian Mineral and
mining Act regulates the mining sector in Nigeria by vesting the regulation and
control of ownership of Nigeria’s mineral resources. Also, the provision of
Nigeria’s National Minerals and Metals Policy coupled with Minerals and Mining
Regulations control the activities of the sector. In terms of
administration of the mining industry, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development
oversees the industry’s administrative activities. The administration is
carried out by Mines Inspectorate Department, Artisanal and Small Scale Mining
Department, Mines, Environment and Compliance and Mining Cadastre office. Mining Titles and Licenses. Mining titles are
granted to individuals, companies and co-operatives. Mining leases and
exploration licenses can be granted through competitive bidding or individual
request. Under competitive bidding, mineral locations are consolidated into
blocks by the government and such blocks are offered for sale to both local and
foreign investors who have financial and technical muscle to consummate mining
activities. The bidding process under the competitive bidding include
advertisement in media, due process of diligence by data room, receipt of
Expression of Interest (EOI), preferred investor selection, communication of investors
that are selected to National Assembly Committee on Solid Minerals and offer of
mineral titles to selected investors. As far as licensing and
leasing is concerned, the types of licenses and leases that can be given
include Renaissance Permits (RP), Exploration license, Quarry Lease,
Small-Scale Mining lease, Mining lease and water use permit. Mining business in Nigeria. In Nigerian mining,
Nigerians can start and carry on the business of mining through
partnership, limited liability companies, unlimited liability companies and
unincorporated joint venture while foreigners are only authorized to start and
carry on mining business through limited liability companies as section 54 of
Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) states that foreign company cannot
carry on any business in Nigeria. As such, the documents required for company’s
incorporation in Nigeria are Memorandum of Association, Articles of
Association, Share Capital statement, compliance with Companies and Allied
Matters Act (CAMA) declaration, notice of situation of the company’s registered
office and return of allotment of shares and particulars of First Directors of
the company. Challenges in the industry. The challenges
confronted by investors are much and as such, can not be over emphasized.
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