Abuja – The Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to formulate a policy that would compel local industries to patronise indigenous miners’ products.
Alhaji Sani Shehu, the MAN’s National President, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
Shehu said the local miners had the capacity to supply the local industries with more than 30 per cent minerals needed for their production.
“There is no doubt the local miners cannot get the required industrial minerals needed by our local industries.
“But the local industries are not patronising the little available minerals as expected; our minerals are of good quality like other minerals they import.
“The local industries prefer to import industrial minerals but if the policy is implemented that means they will be purchasing our industrial minerals before sourcing from abroad,” he said.
Shehu said some of the industrial minerals were Barite, different clays such as kaoline gist, gypsum and talc.
He said before now, government included all the minerals on Custom Prohibition List for Importation, but two years ago the minerals were de-listed.
“We want government to include the minerals back on the prohibition list; by so doing local miners will be able to sell their 30 per cent products, while the local industries import the remaining 70 per cent,” he said. (NAN)