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• Eight companies shortlisted

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja
The federal government thursday commenced a nationwide integrated exploration project, saying eight out of 44 companies that submitted bids for the process were successful.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa Bwari, who launched the scheme, noted that the project, which is under the Natural Resources Fund, would be executed by his ministry.

Bwari, while flagging off the exploration, said Nigeria is blessed with diverse mineral resources, which can only serve their purpose if they are properly and comprehensively harnessed to enable stakeholders make investment decisions

The minister stressed that following the policies laid down in the ministry’s roadmap to help actualise federal government’s diversification agenda, the ministry intends to advance the development and use of different mineral commodities.

According to him, the industrial minerals will be used for local consumption and import substitution; metallic minerals for generating foreign exchange; and energy minerals for power generation towards the country’s growth and substantial development.

According to him, “This integrated project is therefore long overdue, and its success will be critical in determining how far government can go in its efforts to reposition the sector.”
“Actually, the credibility of this ministry, as well as the