THE BENUE State Government has suspended all mining activities in the state until a miners’ data has been compiled; the state governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, gave the directive when he met with members of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Benue Chapter in Makurdi.
The governor also directed the Mineral Resources and Environment Management Committee (MIREMCO) to immediately begin documenting data of all miners in the state.
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He said that the decision to conduct the revalidation exercise was due to reports of security threats.
He also frowned at the contamination of water sources for residents in the affected areas especially in Kwande.
The governor enjoined security agencies and the joint task force on illegal mining to ensure that the right thing was done to enhance the well-being of the people and increase the Internally Generated Revenue.
‘The state government will not tolerate any illegality. It is our administration’s prerogative to protect lives and property of the people,” he said.
Also speaking, the state Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Mr Fidelis Mnyim, said Gov Alia was not against mining but wants to check illegal mining activities.
Mnyim, who is also the chairman of MIREMCO, said the state has come up with a checklist which would be used to scrutinise the mining sector in Benue.
In his remarks, chairman of the Nigeria Miners Association in Benue, John Tersugh, promised to cooperate with the governor to sanitise the mining sector.
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The Mining Officer in the Federal Ministry of Mines and Solid Minerals, Mr Simon Ogwu, promised to support the state government to sanitise the mining sector in Benue.
Two miners, Benjamin Nyior and Dennis Tarhemba, called for a conducive working environment to enable them carry out their activities effectively.
NAN reports that some members of the association appealed to the governor to address the issue of multiple taxation within the industry and provide necessary mining equipment to assist them on the field to contribute to the revenue profile of the state. (NAN)
