The Plateau State Government has said its decision to suspend all mining activities is to ensure the safety of lives and property of its citizens.
The Commissioner for Environment, Climate Change and Mineral Development, Mr. Peter Gwom, said this during a news conference on Thursday in Jos.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang had on February 21, issued an executive order suspending mining activities in the state.
Mutfwang further constituted a Technical Committee on Mining Reform, being chaired by Mr Philemon Dafi, the state’s Commissioner for Justice, to ensure the successful implementation of the order.
Gwom, who spoke on behalf of the committee, explained that the escalating security threats due to increased mining activities in the state were posing serious threats to all mining communities.
“Plateau has been at the forefront of mining activities in Nigeria since 1902.
”The emergence of large-scale mining industries on the Plateau was a catalyst for economic growth, serving as a backbone for industrialisation, job creation, foreign exchange earnings and infrastructure development.
“Over the decades, these activities have resulted in severe land degradation, environmental pollution, increased child labour, illicit drug trade, proliferation of arms, banditry, kidnappings, among other dangerous trends.
“This suspension is borne out of our shared responsibility to protect lives and property from the escalating threats of insecurity emanating from mining activities and unregulated mining operations within the state,” he said.
Gwom, who maintained that the move would be beneficial to the state, warned citizens to desist from politicising the suspension.
“At this juncture, we must caution those who want to politicise this patriotic intervention by the government by whipping up ethnic, religious, or gender sentiments to desist from doing so.
”We urge all the citizens of the state to see this as a necessary and strategic move aimed at sanitising the mining sector, curbing criminal activities and protecting arable land.
“It will also secure infrastructure and attract legitimate investments for the overall benefit of the state,” Gwom said. (NAN)
