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Calls for legislation to ban illegal mining
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From John Adams, Minna
The new Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command, Abdulhamid Salisu Kabara, has raised the alarm that, despite the recent incident that led to the death of 34 miners in the state, there is still danger ahead.
The commandant, who spoke when he paid a familiarisation visit to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, in his office on Tuesday, maintained that the activities of the miners have continued to pose a threat to residents of Minna, the state capital, forcing the majority of them to abandon their homes.
He said the miners had regrouped and were now operating in large numbers, stressing that “they now use force to chase the people from their homes for their activities.
“The situation now is that they feel they are above the law. There is the need for an urgent step towards addressing the current situation.”
While calling on the state Assembly to come up with legislation to ban illegal mining activities in the state, the commandant warned that the current situation was another time bomb waiting to explode.
He said he was assuming office as commandant with an enormous challenge, due to the unfortunate and avoidable experience of the death of the 34 miners in NSCDC custody.
He nevertheless gave the assurance that standard procedures would be followed under his watch as commandant in the state.
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“There must be observance of the rule of engagement in our operations. There must be discipline and commitment among the personnel because internationally Civil Defence is known to rescue people, save people and to cater for them. That is what they must do now.”
The Speaker, while welcoming the new commandant, assured him of the Assembly’s maximum support to enable him to address the current challenges.
The Speaker reminded him of the challenges ahead, including rebuilding confidence among the people of the state after the experience of the death of the miners.
“You need to do a lot of work towards rebuilding the confidence and cementing the relationship between the service and the people. This is very important as you settle down in your new posting.”
The Speaker told the commandant that the cordial relationship already established with the Assembly by the former commandant would be enhanced, adding that “nothing has changed, we will improve on it. Anytime you need us as an institution, we are there for you.”
On the possibility of legislation to ban illegal mining activities in the state, the Speaker submitted thus: “I don’t want to say that our hands are tied when it comes to mining activities because mining falls under the Exclusive List, but we will not say that as a state, we will just fold our hands without doing anything.
“It is not a reason for us to say it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to handle mining. If the Federal Government will handle it at the top, it has given us the right of ownership, because you can’t commence mining activities in the state, and on my site, without the community consent.”
The Speaker nonetheless assured the newly posted commandant of the legislature’s commitment to synergise and give them all the support to make their job very easy.
