In a historic first for the country and region, the people of Nasomo in Vatukoula have become the first landowners to be paid a fair share of royalty for their mineral resources.
Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Faiyaz Koya handed out cheques to 100 landowners in Nasomo noting the occasion marks the right of landowners to a fair share of mineral royalties.
While royalties have usually been retained by the State as owners of minerals under the Mining Act, these payments at Nasomo follow the passing of legislation in the May sitting of Parliament that gives effect to Section 30 of the Constitution to allow the sharing of royalty.
These royalty payments at Nasomo is for gold mining carried out by Vatukoula Gold Mine Limited which had initially paid mining royalty to the Mineral Resources Department.
It is also amongst a series of payments to be made depending on the minerals being mined by the company.
Nasomo Landowners Secretary, Taito Koroi says the landowners of Nasomo are fortunate to be the first recipients of the Fair Share of Mineral Royalties Bill with 80% of royalty is for landowners and 20 % for Government.
