The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, has expressed its commitment to cooperate with State Governments in order to eliminate illegal mining activities across the country. The permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr. Mary Ogbe made this statement during a courtesy visit by the governor of Taraba State, Dr. Agbu Kefas to the ministry’s Headquarters Office in Abuja.
Represented by Alhaji Suleiman Kabir, the director of human resource department, the permanent secretary emphasised the urgent need for collaboration between the ministry and Taraba state to curtail illegal mining in the state. Illegal mining has become an endemic economic crime that not only causes a haemorrhage to government revenue but also leads to security problems and festering community clashes in states endowed with mineral resources.
Ogbe highlighted that combating the menace of illegal mining requires a joint effort between the ministry and the Taraba State government. She sought robust dialogue to enhance and sustain the ministry’s efforts in eliminating the activities of illegal miners within the bounds of the law.
Commending the proactive security measures taken by the governor to prevent law and order breakdown resulting from illegal mining, Ogbe lauded the actions of the state government and urged the governor to extend necessary assistance to legal miners in the state to boost investor confidence.
In response, the state governor condemned the activities of illegal miners in his state, who often create communal clashes and cause severe environmental degradation in their pursuit of illegal exploration of mineral resources.
To curb and eliminate illegal mining activities, Agbu called on the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to establish effective communication and collaboration with the Taraba State government. This collaboration would involve processing and authenticating licenses issued by the ministry to investors, as well as other documentation for the exploration of mineral resources.
The governor believed that such measures would create an enabling environment for attracting genuine investors into the state, thus achieving the much-desired socio-economic transformation of the country.
In conclusion, the ministry’s head of public relations, Alaba Balogun stated that the cooperation between the Federal and state governments is vital to eliminate illegal mining activities and foster the responsible and sustainable use of mineral resources for the benefit of all stakeholders.
