From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
Senator Ekong Sampson, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, has pledged that the 10th Senate will ensure the equitable use of the ₦1 trillion allocated in the 2025 budget to revitalise Nigeria’s dormant solid minerals sector.
Speaking through his deputy, Senator Mustaph Habib, during an oversight visit in Jos on April 14, Sampson emphasised the funds’ role in diversifying the economy, stating, “This is part of the federal government’s effort to bring back the vibrant solid minerals sector.”
At a courtesy call on the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, Sampson urged traditional rulers to curb unlicensed miners exploiting the sector.
Buba linked illegal mining to rising insecurity, deaths in mining pits, and threats to buildings, noting, “The hike in foodstuffs and decline in school enrolment are due to mining activities.”
He highlighted Plateau’s Executive Order 001, temporarily suspending mining, though some continue illegally.
The six-member committee, in Jos for a three-day oversight, plans to meet miners’ associations and stakeholders to support President Tinubu’s revival agenda.