The Niger State government has appealed to businesses and residents to embrace what it called a responsible mining policy of the state government for their safety.
Governor Umaru Bago made this known when he visited the scene of the explosion in Sabon Pegi, Mashegu Local Government Area of the State to commiserate with victims and community members.
The governor acknowledged that the area has a large deposit of gold lithium and is characterised by artisanal mining resulting in insecurity in the area.
He called on the people to surrender their explosives and other dangerous which they use to the committee made up of security agencies, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, traditional institutions and other relevant stakeholders for safe storage instead of keeping them in their houses.
“We have been able to reorganise miners in Niger State to a certain level because we have realized that this menace of illegal mining, artisanal mining has been here for a very long time, but nobody put attention to it.
“Now that we see that their waters are polluted, the environment degraded and also hazardous items are found in their homes, some of the have led poisoning, we have high number of people with kidney and renal failures. So, we have called on them to use the conventional ways of mining,” Governor Bago said.
The governor announced a donation of the sum of ₦174 million to victims of the dynamite explosion.
The Governor explained that ₦5 million each should be given to those whose houses were totally destroyed, ₦2 million to those partially damaged, ₦1 million to the injured, ₦2 million to the families of the deceased and ₦1 million each to those whose vehicles were affected.
He said the cash donation is to provide succour to the victims, adding that a committee will be set up to ensure the judicious sharing of the money.
The governor was accompanied by the Minister of Information and National Orientation Agency, Mohammed Idris, the Senator representing Niger North Senatorial District, Senator Abubakar Bello, Speaker Niger State House of Assembly, AbdulMalik Sarkin-Daji, Federal and State Lawmakers from the state, some state executive council members, APC stalwarts and the Emir of Borgu, Mohammed Haliru Dantoro Kitoro IV among other dignitaries.
