Get Guardian on GoogleKogi State Governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo, has directed the regulation of mining activities in Ejima community, Ankpa Local Government Area, to protect legitimate artisanal miners while ensuring that mining operators address environmental degradation and provide basic infrastructure for host communities.
The governor, who gave the directive during an on-the-spot assessment of mining sites in the community, said residents engaged in lawful mining activities should not be criminalised or treated as security threats simply because of their occupation.
He urged security agencies and relevant authorities to distinguish between legitimate artisanal miners and criminal elements, insisting that those earning a living through mining should be allowed to operate within the law.
Ododo disclosed that the state government had profiled a significant number of artisanal miners, including more than 1,000 degree holders, over 500 master’s degree holders and more than 300 persons without formal educational qualifications.
He said: “They are not kidnappers. They are not armed robbers. They have chosen not to go the way of kidnapping. They have chosen to earn a living through their hands. Why should somebody come here, arrest them and tag them as illegal miners?”
The governor, however, expressed displeasure over the environmental degradation, damaged roads and lack of basic social amenities in Ejima, despite the mineral resources being extracted from the community.
He said his administration would not tolerate a situation in which mining operators exploited the area’s mineral resources without contributing to the development of their host communities.
Consequently, he directed the Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development to work with the leadership of the miners’ association to compile a comprehensive list of licensed mining operators in the area.
According to him, the exercise would provide a basis for engagement with the operators and ensure compliance with their Corporate Social Responsibility obligations, particularly the rehabilitation of damaged roads and provision of essential facilities.
He listed schools, potable water and electricity among the basic amenities mining companies and operators should provide to communities from which they derive economic benefits.
Ododo also cautioned traditional rulers against granting consent to unlicensed mining operators, directing those who had issued such approvals without following due process to withdraw them.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development, Bashir Gegu, commended the governor for personally visiting the community, describing the gesture as evidence of the administration’s commitment to ensuring that mineral resources translate into tangible benefits for the people.
Gegu said the state government had strengthened regulations governing mining activities, particularly the issuance of community consent letters and implementation of Community Development Agreements (CDAs).
He explained that such agreements should extend beyond token financial empowerment to include sustainable development projects such as accessible roads, potable water, electricity, quality schools and scholarships for members of host communities.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Kogi State Chapter, Yunusa Oruma, thanked the governor for the visit and his administration’s support for the mining sector.
Oruma described Ododo as supportive of mining activities and pledged the association’s readiness to mobilise artisanal and other categories of miners in support of the administration.
