By Ahmed A. Usman, Kafanchan
As the area is becoming an emerging zone of mining, communities in southern part of Kaduna State have been sensitized on the dangers of allowing illegal mining activities to take place in their localities.
Speaking at the sensitization meeting in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area of the state, Engineer Hosea Ali, Acting Zonal Mines Officer, North West Office of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development said southern Kaduna is coming up as an active mining zone.
He said, “active in the sense that lithium which is becoming a hot cake globally is found predominantly here.”
According to him, illegal mining deprived government of royalties and taxes and also contributes to insecurity and environmental degradation.
He identified issue of consent, community development agreement, surface rent and environmental impact assessment as a major source of conflict between host communities and mining companies.
The zonal mines officer enjoined artisenal miners to form a small-scale cooperative license so that they can operate legally and enhance their activities.
Earlier, an Operative of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Eric Billy urged the people to try and acquire the requisite license before embarking on any kind of mining.
In his remarks, Monday Barau, who spoke on behalf of mining companies in Kaduna, attributed the poor contribution of the mining sector to Nigeria’s economy to illegal mining.
On his part, Eric Binang from the Extractive Industry fraud section of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Office in Kaduna decried the many laws being violated by miners in carrying out their activities.
Binang restated the commission’s resolve to go after any person or group that commits economic crimes in relation to mining.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.