Government urges miners to obtain license or face consequences

The Plateau Government has warned prospective miners to obtain license from it or be stopped from engaging in any mining activity in the state.

The state Commissioner for Environment, Mr Abdullahi Abbas, gave the warning in Pankshin during a courtesy call on the state’s ALGON Chairman, Mr Stephen Jings.

"We will no longer tolerate prospective miners running to Abuja to obtain licenses from the Federal Government and run back to start mining activities here without any recourse to us as the custodians and owners of the land.

"All miners must come forward and obtain license from us to enable them to continue or start mining activities on our soil, else they should consider themselves illegal miners.

"Enough is enough of this hide-and-seek game of miners on the Plateau; we must know who and who and where they are mining so as to keep our environment safe.

"Plateau state is losing revenue in billions of Naira in terms of fees and taxes. The state government is out to block all loopholes to boost its IGR, especially now that we are diversifying our economy,’’ Abbas said.

The commissioner also warned illegal miners to stop their nefarious activities or face the wrath of the law as government would no longer fold its arms and watch them defraud it and destroy the land wantonly.

He appealed to the Local Government Councils to assist the state government by providing working tools to the women sweeping and keeping the streets across the state clean as an encouragement.

Responding, Jings commended the state government for introducing the award and assured the commissioner that Pankshin would be the winner with its 'cleanliness blue print'.

He said the action on illegal miners was in the right direction and beneficial to the citizens of the state.