As the Nation moves towards economic diversification, mining communities in Plateau State have been assured that the Federal Government has put in place modalities to protect their interests.
This was made known by the north central zonal mines coordinator in the Ministry of Solid Minerals Engineer Ahmad Sa’adu at an interactive forum for communities and prospective mining companies in Barkin Ladi Plateau state.
Since the pre-independence era, mining activities have thrived on the Plateau, providing the Governments from the colonial era with income, but at the end, communities are left devastated by the environmental impact of mining activities and often without compensation.
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To address this, the federal government has mapped out several strategies to ensure that the rights and interests of these communities who often give up their farmlands for these purposes are protected.
These plans also capture local artisanal miners and value chain additions in the sector, as explained by the management of a prospecting company.
Security agencies present also expressed their readiness to ensure that investments and lives are protected as the activities pick up. If all goes according to plan, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the solid minerals sector in Nigeria.
(Editor : Ena Agbanoma)
