He called on the government to collaborate with the various state governments to put in place programmes and legislation that encouraged all miners to operate legally. According to him, this will enable the Federal Government to effectively monitor all mining activities in the country and lead to positive environmental and socio-economic development of the nation. ``Activities of artisanal and illegal miners should be formally recognised in order to bring them to the formal status of the sector and allow them to perform their duties efficiently and effectively. ``The government should organise the artisanal operators, land owners, and local authorities into cooperative bodies or stakeholders, with the government being involved in the supervision of their operations, `` he said. Mosto-Onuoha urged Nigeria to copy from countries like South Africa and other nations that witnessed economic growth and enhanced revenue earnings through export earnings, taxes, royalties and job creation by encouraging all grades of mining. ``Before the advent of oil exploration, the solid minerals sub-sector contributed immensely to the economic growth of the country through the exportation of coal, gold, tin, columbite, Zink among others,`` he said. He said that for the present administration in the country to successfully create wealth and generate employment given the dwindling price of oil, attention needed to be shifted to agriculture, mining, tourism and other sectors. In his remarks, Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Ekanem Braide, said that products of the institution, aside from bring employable, had been prepared to be employers of labout. Braide said that that the university which was in 2011 had a good rapport with its host community and the state government. (NAN)
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