The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, today ordered the immediate recall of all federal mines officers in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Yinka Oyebode, the Minister said that the development was part of measures to strengthen the institutional capacity of the ministry to cooperate with the security agencies in ensuring the security of lives and property in the country, as well as safety of the environment.
The development came barely 24 hours after the ministry blacklisted and withdrew the explosives licences of a Koko, Delta State based company, for illegal diversion of explosives.
All the affected officers are to report to the headquarters of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Abuja for further directives on their next assignments. The statement said letters to this effect had been dispatched to the state and zonal offices of the ministry nationwide.
Dr. Fayemi said the ministry will leave no stone unturned in the bid to reposition the sector for effective service delivery, and to actualise the economic diversification and job-creation goals of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“In the pursuit of our mandate to deepen the productivity of the mining industry, we will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to guarantee that the security of lives and property, as well as [ensure] safety of the environment is not compromised”, he said.
It is unclear how many federal employees are affected by the directive.
