The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has warned illegal miners to “stop committing suicide” by extracting minerals from abandoned pits without licences, stating that there are more than 4,000 abandoned mining pits in Plateau State.
The minister made the disclosure in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise, following the death of seven people in a collapsed mine pit at Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.
He called on investors to partner with the government to repurpose such sites for profitable projects.
Reacting to the collapse of an abandoned tin mine pit, Alake said the tragic loss could have been avoided had the illegal miners formed a co-operative and applied for a permit.
He said the permit would have qualified them to benefit from field training by the ministry’s artisanal mining department and ensured a steady stream of income.
Calling on artisanal miners nationwide to learn a grave lesson from the collective grief the incident has inflicted on the nation, the minister commiserated with the government and people of Plateau State and prayed for the repose of the dead.
“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.
He said the government welcomes investors interested in repurposing the pits for energy, tourism and fishery projects.
Alake stated that collaborating with the private sector is the most proactive and fastest approach to turning dead assets into productive use, adding that the ministry has rehabilitated 59 abandoned pits so far.
In a bid to de-risk investment, he said the ministry has embarked on a strategic initiative to deploy advanced GIS satellite mapping and artificial intelligence through a public-private partnership with ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance, alongside geomatics specialist Intomatics. Plateau State is serving as the pilot beneficiary for the project, which aims to locate, accurately characterise and design workflows to reclaim the thousands of legacy tin pits.
He advised investors to direct enquiries to the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office and the Ministry’s Mines and Environmental Compliance Department, and to apply to the Solid Minerals Development Fund’s funding programme.
To ensure that abandoned pits do not reoccur, Alake said he has pioneered the establishment of the Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation Fund by activating what had been a mere constitutional provision.
“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.
