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By Zacchaeus Ozovehe.
Irked by the act of economic sabotage and health hazard posed by the activities of illegal miners in the state, Kogi State government has swung into action to clamp down on the perpetrators.
A delegation of the state government lead by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security and Strategy, Hon Ibrahim Tijani Tahir and the chairman, Kogi State Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO), Hajia Hassiat Suleiman were recently at Isanlu, Yagba East Local Government Area shut down the operations of Kampe Valley Mining Company which has been mining gold ores from the area.
Kampe Valley Mining Company, it was gathered, has been undergoing exploitation of good in the area even when exploration license given to them has since expired.
While addressing the staff of the company who were later discovered to have migrated from neighbouring states for the illegal mining activities, Hon Ibrahim bemoaned their conditions of operation, especially the insecurity and health hazards being caused to the community as a result of robberies, theft, rape, use of toxic chemicals for their work without necessary precautions.
He further lamented the palpable land degradation and other harmful practices of the company in the are without necessary measures being put in place to mitigate their negative effects on the environment and the people.
According to Hon. Ibrahim, Governor Yahaya Bello has made it clear that the state government does not contend with the exclusivity of mining in the country’s legal frameworks which include mining activities, but said it would not stop the state government from safeguarding the well being of its citizens as well as the safety of their lives and property.
In her reaction, Kogi State Chairman of Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO), Hajiya Hassiat Suleiman asked all investors in the mining sector to do appropriate documentation with relevant authorities before mining activities, just as she urged host communities not to exchange their entitlements for peanuts from illegal miners.
She assured that MIREMCO will not rest on its oars in working with relevant authorities to see that all exploration activities in the state are done in line with global best practices and within the laid down regulatory framework of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
The right of the host community to demand social development in terms of health care, portable water supply, employment in the mining company, and compensation for land usage, according to Hajia Hassiat are all embedded in Community Development Agreement between them and the company as dictated in the Nigerian Mineral and Mining Act of 2007 before any mining activity should even commence.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Solid Minerals, Hon Charles Umoru noted that the state government was ready to ensure that every economic activity being carried out by investors were done with the interest of the local communities protected.
He opined that Kogi State welcomes economic and investment opportunities, but will not do so to the detriment of the people, as such the state will always choose to associate itself with investors who carry out their corporate social responsibility.
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