The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has warned illegal miners against extracting minerals from abandoned pits without licences.
Mr Alake gave the warning while reacting to the collapse of an abandoned tin mine pit at Kassa in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau.
The warning is contained in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Lara-Owoeye-Wise on Sunday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that seven miners died on Wednesday evening after a mining pit collapsed on them at a mining site in Kassa community, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau.
The minister said the tragedy could have been avoided if the illegal miners had formed a cooperative and applied for the necessary permit.
He said obtaining the permit would have enabled them to benefit from field training by the ministry’s Artisanal Mining Department and secure a steady stream of income.
Alake commiserated with the Government and people of Plateau over the incident, urging artisanal miners nationwide to learn from the tragedy.
“The challenge before the state and the Federal Government is how to turn these potential pits of death into centres of joyful prosperity,” he said.
The minister said there were more than 4,000 mine pits dug by Amalgamated Tin Mines Ltd. alongside their successor companies, Consolidated Tin Mines Ltd. and Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Ltd.
He called on investors to partner with the government to repurpose the abandoned pits for energy, tourism and fishery projects.
Alake said collaboration with the private sector remained the fastest and most proactive approach to transforming abandoned mining sites into productive assets.
