Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has announced that an executive bill for “responsible mining” will be forwarded to the State House of Assembly to eliminate irregularities in and standardise mining practices.
Bago made this known during a visit by the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, led by its chairman, Senator Ekong Sampson, in Minna.
According to him, the bill, when passed into law, will spell out the procedures to follow in terms of mining, thereby getting rid of all forms of irregularities in the mining sector.
The governor disclosed that already the state government has held a series of meetings with stakeholders in the mining industry on the proposed bill.
He further explained that the bill also seeks to address post-mining effects, among others in the state.
Lamenting the spade of the activities of artisanal miners in the state, he disclosed: “It has resulted in the loss of many lives and property just as their activities have encouraged banditry activities.”
He thanked the Senate committee for the visit and reiterated the state’s continued support and partnership with the committee to achieve its set objectives, especially with ongoing talks with the Federal Government on a licence for aggregation to assist in checking the exploitation of young illegal miners.
I’ll forward bill for ‘responsible mining’ to Niger State Assembly – Gov Bago
