Adamawa pit collapse: Alake seeks collective action against illegal miners

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has called for stronger collaboration between stakeholders in the solid minerals sector and the National Parks Service to combat illegal mining and prevent further mine collapses.

The Minister noted that technical reports from field inspections indicated that the lack of professional skills in mine development by artisanal miners engaging in illegal mining was responsible for the pit collapse.

Reports earlier confirmed that at least 22 miners died in a pit collapse at an illegal mining site within a national game reserve that spans Gashaka Local Government Area in Taraba State and Toungo Local Government Area in Adamawa State.

Reacting to the incident in a statement, the Minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, noted that the pit collapse reportedly occurred during illegal mining operations in the Gashaka-Gumti National Park.

He said that the ministry had been monitoring the site through federal mines officers in Taraba and Adamawa.

He called on perpetrators to stop risking their lives in search of minerals and advised them to form mining cooperatives and approach the ministry to facilitate licences and permits to operate legally.

Dr. Alake informed that the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act and extant regulations outlaw mineral exploration in the national parks as it endangers the virgin forests, plants, and wildlife being preserved by the Federal Government.

The Minister recalled that his ministry had already discussed with the National Parks Service the terms of collaboration needed to prevent mining within these protected areas. He also called on National Parks officers to report any mineral extraction activities to the nearest Federal Mines Officer for prompt intervention.

To prevent future incidents, Dr. Alake urged local government authorities to pay closer attention to illegal mining in their jurisdictions and to work with state ministry offices to implement early warning systems designed to curb illegal mining.

He added that the Ministry is sponsoring radio programs on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and Voice of Nigeria to educate the public on the dangers of illegal mining. These programmes, translated into nine Nigerian languages, aim to reach artisanal miners, who are often non-English speakers.

Dr. Alake mentioned that the ministry’s Artisanal Mining Department is also planning further engagement initiatives to build trust between artisanal miners and the government.