Governor of Niger State, Muhammad Umaru Bago, has advised artisan miners to surrender their explosives and other dangerous weapons to the Committee made up of Security agencies, Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Traditional Institutions and other relevant stakeholders for safe storage instead of keeping them in their houses.
Bago made the appeal when he visited the scene of the explosion to commiserate with the victims and the members of the community in Sabon Pegi, Mashegu local council of Niger State.
While sympathizing with the victims of the incident, the governor called on the people to embrace the responsible mining policy of the State Government for their safety.
Bago acknowledged that the area has large deposits of gold and lithium in the state, and it’s characterized by artisanal mining resulting in insecurity in the area as they have explosives and guns in their possessions.
He announced a cash donation of N174 million to the victims of the dynamite explosion.
The governor explained that N5 million each should be given to those whose houses were totally destroyed, N2 million to those partially damaged, N1 million to the injured, N2 million to the families of the deceased, and N1 million each to those whose vehicles were affected.
He said the cash donation is to provide succour to the victims, adding that a committee will be set up to ensure the judicious sharing of the money.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation Agency, Mohammed Idris, said the President is deeply saddened by the incident, describing it as a man-made tragedy and cannot be allowed to continue.
He said the President has instructed that advocacy and enlightenment campaigns should be stepped up by the National Orientation Agency, particularly for those involved in illegal mining activities to avert the recurrence.
The Minister also stated that the President has directed the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and NEMA and other relevant MDAs of the Federal Government saddled with responsibilities of intervention to complement the efforts of the State government in ameliorating the sufferings of the people.
He commended the efforts of the State government and promised that the Federal Government would consolidate on them to collectively ensure Nigeria is safer, especially from man-made disasters.
Niger North Senator, and immediate past Governor of Niger State, Senator Abubakar Sani Bello, described the incident as unfortunate and stressed the need for education for the people to engage in best practices in mining activities and then announced a cash donation of N50 million to the victims of the explosion.
