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Various activities take place around mostly illegal mines in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State with many starching their pockets with huge cash making them “kings” from the precious items.
By Raymond Gukas, Jos
A visit to one of the several tin mining sites in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State has revealed so many hidden facts about the happening within such sites which usually pass as an activity with less value.
Apart from the fact that such sites; once discovered, attract a booming market ranging from the sales of local medications to alcohol, second-hand clothes, food and so on, but the most important thing is orderliness because of a functional quasi judicial structure with sites policing.
These sites are usually situated on private lands and most times, activities can commence without the consent of such iwners; who when discovered, become helpless because of the thousands of miners who may have encroached on such lands.
Though, the mining is done illegally, the authorities are either handicapped to regulate the activities or are simply ignorant of the happening including the dangers it poses to the environment within a radius.
Interestingly, a guide who would not want his names in print because of the “fules” of the camp, hinted that in each of the over ten sites within the local government area, none generate less than N10 million daily and by such assumption, Plateau State is sitting on a N100m weekly revenue activity if she could actually harness it.
Perhaps, this could be the reason for the overwhelming population at such camps and their activities, where you find people of different ages making a living in an illegal operation.
With its consequences on the youths and even marriages, hundreds of graduates have found a haven here because of lack of employment while those in schools that are on strike are having field days accumulating resources for themselves pending when the institutions would resume due to the lingering ASUU-FGN crisis.
Those profiting from the illegal tin mining are the buyers of the products, which an ounce is said to go for N6000 on the average. These buyers apart from their buy, also extract other valuable products from the mines and these are sold differently in the international markets. These includes Columbite among other precious minerals.
Apart from the facts that the sites are situated from previous colonial mining areas; whose lands are yet to be reclaimed, other virgin sites are also discovered and once this is so, owners of homes and other properties within the areas are threatened because of the dangers by losing the fertility of their farms or have thier homes mined from beneath thereby tampering with their sources of water which are mostly linked by the miners.
On the surface degradation of lands, these mining sites are very dangerous to the communities because of the several wells that are scattered at the sites. It is common knowledge to hear of children and animals falling into such deep abandoned wells and die as a result.
Apex News Exclusive learnt that apart from Jos south tin sites, others are in Riyom and Barkin Ladi who also boast of tin deposits. What goes on around the ones in Jos South are also being experienced in the other local government areas.
Because of the lucrative economic values of the mining activities, security to lives and properties have been of major concern. There have been attacks and killings at some of these sites due to the festering invasion by suspected fulanis which has been reported in recent past.
Also in areas, the rate of divorce is on the high side, as married and single women of easy virtues compete with one another in order to secure the hands of vibrant young men who have become “kings” overnight as a result of mining. For the very young Secondary and even primary school pupils, schooling has become a waste of time since money can be sourced within days and this, fetchesc them comfort.
How can the government tap from this booming activity? Especially when the system relies heavily on the federation allocation. A great source of revenue is wasting away and the government appears bend on introducing taxes on the hapless citizenry and ignoring the potential mining sites across the entire state in tghe hands of illegali miners.
