In a decisive move to bolster the protection of the nation’s vital natural resources, the presidential inter-ministerial committee, headed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake conducted an extensive meeting with service chiefs in Abuja.
Following President Bola Tinubu’s directive at last week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, an inter-ministerial committee was established to formulate a blueprint for securing the country’s natural resources, encompassing solid minerals, forests and the marine economy. The committee, inaugurated last Friday, convened a comprehensive meeting with service chiefs to further advance this critical agenda.
Providing insights into the expanded meeting, Alake emphasised that the committee’s engagement with security chiefs from various agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), aimed at gathering inputs for crafting a robust strategy to effectively safeguard Nigeria’s natural resources, aligning with the presidential mandate.
“In today’s deliberations, we covered all the issues comprehensively. Decisions have been made, and there will be another follow-up meeting. The security agencies, including service chiefs, NSA’s office and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), will constitute a smaller committee to outline the work plan and execution modalities. We will reconvene in another fortnight,” stated the minister.
Reiterating the Federal Government’s stance on the tragic Ibadan explosion, Alake highlighted that the report of the ongoing forensic investigations by security agencies is eagerly awaited before necessary actions are taken.
Key attendees at the meeting included the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abass Lawal; Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola; Defence Minister, Abubakar Badaru; Interior Minister, Hon. Tunji Olubunmi-Ojo and his counterpart from the Oyo State Police Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim.
A statement released by the minister’s special assistant on media, Segun Tomori outlined the representation of security agencies, including Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun; Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi, representatives of the Chief of Air Staff, Air-Vice Marshall Abdulkadir Abubakar and Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral I. Abbas, among others.
