Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State has approved the release of N50 million (fifty million naira) for disbursement to the families of victims of the collapsed gold mine pit at Galadima Kogo in Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.
The Secretary to the Niger State Government, Abubakar Usman Gawu, stated this while inaugurating a 13-member relief committee tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the disbursement exercise in Minna.
Abubakar Usman Gawu explained that the fifty million naira earmarked for disbursement has already been deposited in a designated bank account, awaiting the committee members to finalise a template or modalities for payment to the beneficiaries.
He enumerated some terms of reference for the committee, including identifying the victims who died, their next of kin/immediate family members, and those who were wounded.
The committee will also include those who provided rescue operations as compensation for their humanitarian services.
According to him, the committee is also tasked with determining the mode of payment and any other additional information needed, and they are expected to submit their report to the state government upon completing this important assignment.
Regarding illegal mining activities in Niger State, Abubakar Usman Gawu maintained that the ban on such activities throughout the state remains in force.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has directed relevant ministries to profile these miners for easy identification before giving the go-ahead to continue.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Committee and Permanent Secretary of General Services, Abubakar Sadik Idris, assured that probity and accountability would remain their watchwords in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Meanwhile, the District Head of Galadima Kogo, Malam Umar Aliyu, reported that fourteen (14) persons died in the incident, of which ten (10) bodies were recovered, and eight persons were rescued. Many others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Consequently, the committee was given three weeks to submit its report to the Niger State Government.
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