 I'm pleased to join you all at this opening ceremony of the sixth edition of the Nigeria Mining Week, and I bring you the very warm felicitations of President Muhammad Buhari, who would have liked to be here himself, but as we know, he's currently out of the country. And I must say that the organizers of the Mining Week, the Miner's Association of Nigeria, PWC, and our hosts, the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, deserve our commendation for so faithfully organizing this event in the last six years. In fact, the last two years, virtually. Year after year, you have outdone yourselves by showcasing Nigeria's mineral assets and its dynamic mining ecosystem to potential local and international investors. Very well done indeed. I must also say that this event is a very significant complement to our vision and sustained effort to accelerate the growth of the mining sector as a major contributor to Nigeria's economic diversification program. But we all know that the mining sector has always needed a transformational leap to contribute meaningfully to the envisioned economic growth of the country, because despite the glorious contributions of the mining sector to our national economy in the past and the abundance of mineral resources found in almost every state of the federation, the growth of the sector stagnated for many years, especially since the early 70s, and there have been very many notable contributions and efforts by previous administrations to wake the sleeping giants that is the Nigerian mining industry up. But at the beginning of our administration in 2015, we intentionally prioritized the development of the country's mineral resources as one of the frontiers for economic growth This led to the comprehensive roadmap for the growth and development of the Nigerian mining sector, and we have steadily followed the steps step by step on that roadmap. So far we can say without fear of contradiction that this administration has contributed and committed more resources to the development of the mining sector than any other government in the history of our country. And we are proud that the indices of development in the sector are rapidly changing. Part of these is the increased revenue generation and of course the unprecedented investment interest that the industry has attracted in the past few years. Nigeria for the first time, as we've heard, has a world-class gold mine in Segilola, the ocean state operated by Thor Exploration. Also, Etta, Zuma mining and industry is limited and Mosra Energy are mining and supplying the coal needs of Dangote and Boa cement factories. In the steel industry, African natural resources and mines limited, owners of the Kagago Integrated Steel Plant are about to produce liquid steel from the iron ore mine in Kaduna State. Several other investors, as we've heard from the Honourable Minister, are at different stages of mine development in various parts of the country and these strategic milestones will hopefully catalyze more mining investment in the country. I firmly believe that the sector, when fully developed, will outstrip other sectors of the economy in export earnings and the creation of good-paying jobs and opportunities. Besides, it will stimulate industrial growth as a local source of raw materials and improve the quality of lives in rural communities. Again, we must commend the efforts of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and other stakeholders in providing a conducive environment for investment. Some of the thematic activities that have been delivered include one, as we've heard also, the deployment of a digital application at the mining cadastral office of Buja and its offices in the six geopolitical zones of the country for the grant and administration of mining titles. And by the way, I will have the privilege of commissioning this online innovation, the Electronic Mining Cadastral Plus, today. Second of great interest, second of great interest also is the escalation of geological information gathering, data storage and dissemination. And this has led to increased mineral fines across the country and the issuance of exploration licenses to miners. We must also appreciate the return of the geological data generated in Nigeria during the pre-independence era by the British Geological Survey Agency. The availability of these data in the recently established National Geodata Center at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency is a big boost to the sector. Free the organization of informal miners into productive work groups is another landmark activity. The Ministry has increased the formalization of mining activities and stimulated downstream development by the establishment of gemstones and jewelry marketing centers in Oyo State. Also the gold ore processing plant in Kogi State, a gold souk in Kano State and the construction of a buried plant in Cross River State, a cowling plant in Bauchi State and the lead and zinc processing plant in a Boine State. The aims of these clusters is to provide direct and indirect economic opportunities for very many Nigerians. The development of the steel sector is still a huge priority of our administration. Our vision for an industrialized nation cannot be achieved without a vibrant steel sector. We understand the huge demand for steel and iron in our domestic markets and across the sub-region and this is why we prioritize the resolution of all the issues constraining the full operation of the Ajau Kuta Steel Company and you've heard some details about that already from the Honorable Minister. To this end, a transaction advisor has been appointed to concession the Ajau Kuta Steel Company and the Nigerian IONO mining company, TAPE. The selection process is going on and our commitment is to break what appears to be a jinx on Ajau Kuta Steel Complex and actualize the dream of a vibrant steel sector. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we must reiterate our responsibilities both as public and private sector entities for the issues of sustainable development and climate change. The extraction of mineral commodities entails considerable impact on land, on water and air and other environmental assets that are central to human living, both now and in the future. The painful experience of the negative impact of oil exploration in the Niger Delta cannot be ignored, therefore all operators in the mining sector are now obliged by law and ethics and our responsibility for the future to ensure that proper environmental, social and governance principles are practiced in the sector. On our part, the government will continue to intensify its regulatory and supervisory role in ensuring that mining is held to the highest standards of sustainable development and intergenerational equity. On a brighter note, it is now well known that the global energy systems are transiting to clean energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These massive changes will increase the demand for critical minerals for clean energy generation and leveraging on the opportunities emerging from the market potential for these minerals. And is encouraging the intensification of exploration of these critical minerals. The investment community is also invited to participate in the mining and processing of minerals along the entire value chain of this emerging opportunity. Let me then thank you all again for making the time to attend this sixth edition of the Nigeria Mining Week and I'll show you of the commitment of the government of the Federation of Nigeria to support mining activities towards the shared prosperity for the Nigerian people. It is now my very special pleasure and privilege to declare this conference the sixth edition of the Mining Week open and I wish you all highly rewarding engagements. Thank you very much.