Nigerian governors have been urged not to issue executive orders in the country’s mining sector.

Gaza Jonathan, a member of the House of Representatives who represents the Chairman of the Committee on Mineral Resources in the National Assembly, made the appeal on Wednesday during the fifth meeting of the National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources Development in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara state.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, Minister of State for Steel Development, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, industry captains, some National Assembly members, top government officials, and delegates from all 36 states in the federation.

Gaza disclosed that the National Assembly was working on two bills to ensure proper regulation and control over mining. Citizens and stakeholders would provide input in this sector.

He stated that if the bills are eventually passed into law, they will ensure that the benefits accruing to the area of operation and the people’s environmental protection are secured.

In his speech, Abdulrazaq emphasised the importance of diversifying the economy and capitalising on opportunities in solid minerals and other sectors.

“The excessive reliance on oil has proven to be unhelpful for our country, and I’m glad we appear to have learnt our lessons,” he told reporters.

Abdulrazaq disclosed that, in order to maximize the state’s solid mineral potential, his administration recently registered five Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to acquire viable mining sites for the state government.“We plan to establish a standard mineral market in the state, where all minerals mined from our state will first be registered here before they are transported to other places,” he added.