The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has called for increased collaboration between stakeholders in the solid minerals sector and the National Parks Service to combat illegal mining and reduce incidents of mine collapses.
The Minister noted that technical reports from field inspections indicated that the lack of professional skills in mine development among artisanal miners involved in illegal mining was a key factor in pit collapses.
Urging these miners to stop risking their lives in search of minerals, he advised them to form mining cooperatives and approach the ministry to facilitate licenses and permits for legal operations.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Segun Tomori, highlighted that Alake explained the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, along with current regulations, prohibits mineral exploration in national parks, as it threatens the preservation of virgin forests, plants, and wildlife protected by the Federal Government.
Recalling that the Ministry and the National Parks Service management have discussed collaboration terms to halt mining in protected parks, he called on National Parks Service officers to report any instances of mineral extraction to the nearest Federal Mines Officer for immediate action.
The Minister’s remarks came in response to reports of a pit collapse during illegal mining operations in the Gashaka-Gumti National Park, an incident the ministry is monitoring through Federal Mines Officers in Taraba and Adamawa states.
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To prevent future occurrences, the Minister urged local government authorities to pay greater attention to illegal mining activities within their jurisdictions and to work with the state offices of the ministry, aligning with early warning systems designed to curb illegal mining.
He noted that the Ministry is sponsoring radio programs on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and the Voice of Nigeria to educate Nigerians on the dangers of illegal mining and the benefits of joining cooperatives to access the ministry’s training and empowerment programs.
Dr. Alake added that these programs are translated into nine Nigerian languages to reach artisanal miners, many of whom are non-English speakers. He further shared that the ministry’s artisanal department is planning additional engagement programs to build trust between artisanal miners and the government.
