We call on the National Assembly to abrogate section 1 of the Minerals and Mining Act 1999 which places ownership and control of all minerals in, under or upon any land in Nigeria, its contiguous continental shelf and all the rivers, streams and water courses throughout Nigeria in the Government of the Federation for and on behalf of the people of Nigeria; these provisions being oppressive and deprivative of communal right to ownership, should have no place in our statute books. Conversely, the Land Use Act be amended to allow ownership of minerals and other extractive resources in the hands of communities so that the communities can in turn pay tax and royalty to government, as it is done in the USA and other democracies.

In Nigeria for instance, where in spite of the enormous resources (both human and natural) that the country is blessed with, not enough political will is so far shown towards implementing the MDGs. And it is feared that if concerted efforts are not mobilised, achieving the eight MDGs goals may turn out to be a mirage.