Federal Government has approved a 13 percent derivation to all states of the federation for revenue generated through mining to encourage collection of mining tax in states.

Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development, Mr Uchechukwu Ogah, disclosed this when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State during his tour of mining sites to interact with miners and communities.

He said officials of the ministry were in Bauchi to seek synergy between the state and federal government as it relates to mining in line with the economic diversification agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minister told the governor that collaboration between states and federal government as well as community leaders was imperative to smooth mining operations in Nigeria.

“Almost all the minerals are in Bauchi state.

“Bauchi is one of the key states that we are proud of in terms of deposit of mineral resources but our concern is that the resources are yet to be harnessed by the state government due to some challenges,” he acknowledged.

Daily Trust