The Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, says the 10 “Mineral Buying Centres’’ constructed across the country to enhance mining activities in the states have not been abandoned.

Mr Patrick Ojeka, the Director, Artisanal and Small Scale Miners (ASM) made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

Ojeka said that the centres would soon be utilised to serve the purpose they were constructed for.

He said that the facilities were to serve as standardisation centres to enable ASM operators sell their minerals and earn fair premium.

According to him, it will also bridge the gap of middle men buying minerals from ASM at cheaper rates.

“The centres are to serve as stores, analytical laboratories, administrative blocks, where minerals can be analysed, quantified and qualified and certificates issued to sellers for them to adequately,’’ he said.

NAN recalls that the prototype centres were constructed in 2005, nearer to the site of industrial minerals.

The Federal Government ceded the centres to state governments to reduce friction between the two tiers of government on mining activities.

The 10 centres are in Nasarawa, Gombe, Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Ogun, Sokoto, Zamfara, Edo and Yobe.

The director said that five of the centres had been acquired by sokoto, Gombe, zamfara, Ebonyi and Benue, adding that five were still pending.

“Ebonyi and Zamfara have started upgrading their centres to international standard before putting them to use.

“The centres will earn the Federal Government royalty on annual basis, as well as create employment opportunity when they commence operations.’’ (NAN)