The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has warned artisanal and illegal miners against entering abandoned mining pits without proper licences, following the death of seven people in a collapsed tin mine in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Alake described the incident as tragic and avoidable, saying the victims could have been better protected if they had formed a cooperative and obtained the necessary permits.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise, the minister said licensed miners would also have access to field training through the Ministry’s artisanal mining department.
He commiserated with the Plateau State Government and the families of the victims, while urging artisanal miners across the country to learn from the incident.
Alake also called on investors to partner with the government to transform more than 4,000 abandoned mine pits left behind by Amalgamated Tin Mines Limited and its successor companies, Consolidated Tin Mines Limited and Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Limited.
According to him, the abandoned sites could be converted into productive ventures in areas such as energy, tourism and fisheries.
He said public-private partnerships represented the quickest approach to converting abandoned mining sites into productive assets, noting that the ministry had already rehabilitated 59 abandoned pits.
“The challenge before the state and the Federal Government is how to turn these potential pits of death into centres of joyful prosperity,” Alake said.
To reduce the risks associated with investment in the abandoned pits, the minister said the ministry had begun deploying advanced Geographic Information System satellite mapping and Artificial Intelligence technology.
The initiative is being implemented through a public-private partnership with ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance and geomatics specialist Intomatics, with Plateau State serving as the pilot location.
The project is designed to accurately identify and characterise the abandoned pits and develop plans for their reclamation.
Alake urged interested investors to approach the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office and the Ministry’s Mines and Environmental Compliance Department, as well as apply for funding under the Solid Minerals Development Fund programme.
He also disclosed that he had initiated the establishment of an Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation Fund to ensure that abandoned mining sites are properly rehabilitated.
“Very soon, we shall conclude discussions with the fund managers. Thenceforth, mining companies must pay to the Fund so that it can rehabilitate mine pits if the companies don’t do so during closure,” he said.
Benue intensifies polio surveillance after vaccine-derived virus detected in Makurdi
The Benue State Government has stepped up surveillance and response measures following the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus in an environmental sample collected from Wadata in Makurdi Local Government Area.
The development has prompted the State Ministry of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the State Primary Health Care Board, Emergency Operations Centre and World Health Organisation (WHO), to begin active case searches across health facilities and communities.
As part of the response, a delegation from the National Emergency Operations Centre Task Force on Polio Eradication visited Benue State and met with the Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr Paul Ogwuche.
Receiving the delegation, Ogwuche reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to working with the Federal Government and development partners to protect children against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
“The Benue state government remains committed to protecting our children and ensuring that they have access to quality healthcare. We will continue to work closely with the Federal Government and our development partners to contain this situation,” he said.
The commissioner pledged the ministry’s support for advocacy, social mobilisation, community engagement and other measures required to prevent further transmission.
He said the response
was consistent with Governor Hyacinth Alia’s commitment to ensuring that children in the state “grow up healthy and have access to quality healthcare.”
Ogwuche also called for sustained cooperation among government agencies, development partners, health workers and communities.
“Protecting our children remains a shared responsibility,” he said.
Speaking during the visit, the Senior Epidemiologist of the National Emergency Operations Centre Task Force, Dr Hadley Ikove, commended the state response team for its early intervention and coordination.
Ikove said the detection of the virus in an environmental sample required additional resources to strengthen surveillance and prevent possible transmission.
He disclosed that the national programme would provide vaccines and additional funding for vaccination teams, while urging the state government to provide counterpart support for community mobilisation, advocacy and the deployment of additional personnel.
The WHO State Coordinator, Dr Abdulkarim Mohammed, also commended the collaboration between the Federal and State Governments and development partners.
Mohammed said WHO remained committed to “early detection, rapid response and sustained vaccination” to prevent transmission of poliovirus and protect children in the state.
The Director of Public Health in the ministry, Joshua Agbadu, thanked the national team for its intervention and called for continued public awareness to keep communities informed and involved in surveillance and vaccination activities.
The ministry urged parents, caregivers and community leaders to cooperate with health workers during surveillance and vaccination exercises.
It also advised the public to promptly report any child who develops sudden weakness or paralysis of the limbs to health authorities.
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