ON THE CBN TO GIVE N5 BILLION TO ZAMFARA STATE GOVERNMENT TO SUPPLY OWN GOLD – THE NIGER DELTA STATES SHOULD ALSO BE ALLOWED TO OWN/SUPPLY ITS MINERAL RECOURSES
October 19, 2020 | News
With recent reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will give the Zamfara State Government a whopping N5 billion to supply gold to the apex bank, one cannot help but wonder a lot of things.
ON THE CBN TO GIVE N5 BILLION TO ZAMFARA STATE GOVERNMENT TO SUPPLY OWN GOLD – THE NIGER DELTA STATES SHOULD ALSO BE ALLOWED TO OWN/SUPPLY ITS MINERAL RECOURSES
With recent reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will give the Zamfara State Government a whopping N5 billion to supply gold to the apex bank, one cannot help but wonder a lot of things. Top on the list is the evident sort of bias and social injustice practiced by every Nigerian Government when it comes to the ownership and control of the natural resources across the different geopolitical zones of the country.
According to Zamfara State Governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, who disclosed this development, he said: “This strategic decision is part of the effort to prop up the economy of the state and guarantee the economic and social wellbeing of our people now and in the future...” But the big question is, if Zamfara State in Nigeria has the rights to own solid minerals, why is the South-South of the Niger Delta States exempted from owning their mineral resources if the law is not biased? Why should States in the North own mineral resources in their State, whereas States in the South-South of the Niger Delta do not have such rights? Can our representatives in the National Assembly create a conversation on this, while it is fresh? Can social media enthusiasts create a conversation with this until we get clear answers?
Though, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has recently kicked against the said sales of gold bar by Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State to the CBN, saying the governor has no right to sell the mineral resources that belong to the Federal Government, but there is more to be done – which is, it is either the said sales of gold is reversed, or the Niger Delta States are given the same rights to also sell their own mineral resources. Omo-Agege who spoke during Senate plenary, while contributing to the general debate on 2021 budget, wondered why a State governor will have the audacity to sell gold bar to the apex bank. According to him, the gold found in any State belongs to the Federal Government, adding that the revenue generated from such mineral resources like gold are to be shared among all the 36 States and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which is what is being done with the Niger Delta oil and gas mineral resources.
The fundamental issue here is: Zamfara State cannot be selling its gold to the CBN while Niger Delta States are not allowed to sell their crude oil, Condensate and natural gas to whoever they want. If we are to go with what the law says, and noted by Na-Allah Mohammed Zagga (journalist based in Abuja), “Nigeria's mineral resources are the collective assets of Nigeria and no state can claim exclusive ownership of those resources. There should be no exceptionalism in this issue. We can't resist the restructuring agitations and at the same time allow this anomaly to happen. If it has already been formalized, it should be reversed. We can't eat our cake and have it.” That is as simple as that!
Also, when has the Central Bank of Nigeria become involved in buying national assets as a business enterprise? Is that the role of the Central bank of Nigeria? To become an entrepreneur? When has the CBN gone into the business of exploration/production and mining of mineral resources?
And again, why is the Federal Government of Nigeria turning a deaf ear on this Zamfara goldmine business? How come the crude oil, condensate and natural gas in the South-South of the Niger Delta States are owned by the Federal Government by law, whereas the Zamfara gold mineral resources are owned by the Zamfara State Government and its people? If the mineral resources in the Niger Delta States have been used in feeding the entire nation for decades, but the mineral resources found in some States like Zamfara are owned by individual States, then something is seriously wrong. These are the sort of issues, sadly fueled by this Government, that have continued to divide the country across ethnic and geopolitical lines. This ought not to be. We strongly demand that this issue should be addressed promptly.
Zik Gbemre.
October 19, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
With recent reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will give the Zamfara State Government a whopping N5 billion to supply gold to the apex bank, one cannot help but wonder a lot of things. Top on the list is the evident sort of bias and social injustice practiced by every Nigerian Government when it comes to the ownership and control of the natural resources across the different geopolitical zones of the country.
According to Zamfara State Governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, who disclosed this development, he said: “This strategic decision is part of the effort to prop up the economy of the state and guarantee the economic and social wellbeing of our people now and in the future...” But the big question is, if Zamfara State in Nigeria has the rights to own solid minerals, why is the South-South of the Niger Delta States exempted from owning their mineral resources if the law is not biased? Why should States in the North own mineral resources in their State, whereas States in the South-South of the Niger Delta do not have such rights? Can our representatives in the National Assembly create a conversation on this, while it is fresh? Can social media enthusiasts create a conversation with this until we get clear answers?
Though, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has recently kicked against the said sales of gold bar by Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State to the CBN, saying the governor has no right to sell the mineral resources that belong to the Federal Government, but there is more to be done – which is, it is either the said sales of gold is reversed, or the Niger Delta States are given the same rights to also sell their own mineral resources. Omo-Agege who spoke during Senate plenary, while contributing to the general debate on 2021 budget, wondered why a State governor will have the audacity to sell gold bar to the apex bank. According to him, the gold found in any State belongs to the Federal Government, adding that the revenue generated from such mineral resources like gold are to be shared among all the 36 States and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which is what is being done with the Niger Delta oil and gas mineral resources.
The fundamental issue here is: Zamfara State cannot be selling its gold to the CBN while Niger Delta States are not allowed to sell their crude oil, Condensate and natural gas to whoever they want. If we are to go with what the law says, and noted by Na-Allah Mohammed Zagga (journalist based in Abuja), “Nigeria's mineral resources are the collective assets of Nigeria and no state can claim exclusive ownership of those resources. There should be no exceptionalism in this issue. We can't resist the restructuring agitations and at the same time allow this anomaly to happen. If it has already been formalized, it should be reversed. We can't eat our cake and have it.” That is as simple as that!
Also, when has the Central Bank of Nigeria become involved in buying national assets as a business enterprise? Is that the role of the Central bank of Nigeria? To become an entrepreneur? When has the CBN gone into the business of exploration/production and mining of mineral resources?
And again, why is the Federal Government of Nigeria turning a deaf ear on this Zamfara goldmine business? How come the crude oil, condensate and natural gas in the South-South of the Niger Delta States are owned by the Federal Government by law, whereas the Zamfara gold mineral resources are owned by the Zamfara State Government and its people? If the mineral resources in the Niger Delta States have been used in feeding the entire nation for decades, but the mineral resources found in some States like Zamfara are owned by individual States, then something is seriously wrong. These are the sort of issues, sadly fueled by this Government, that have continued to divide the country across ethnic and geopolitical lines. This ought not to be. We strongly demand that this issue should be addressed promptly.
Zik Gbemre.
October 19, 2020.
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes