Mining brought shine to Plateau, but unfortunately has taken the shine off the state, as crime, vices and illegalities have fraught the sector, leaving death and a damaged school system writes ISAAC SHOBAYO.
Plateau State has been at the forefront of mining activities in Nigeria since 1902. The emergence of large-scale mining industries on the Plateau was a catalyst for economic growth, serving as a backbone for industrialisation, job creation, foreign exchange earnings, and infrastructural development.
Notable investments from mining in the 1960s include the construction of railways, the establishment of Plateau Hospital, Corona Schools, Yelwa Club, industrial plants such as Makeri Smelting Company and many other establishments. Both the mining operations and favourable climatic conditions were factors that attracted many Europeans to Plateau State.
However, the blessings have gradually turned into a problem and a cause of concern to the government and the people of the state. Mining sites have become a rendezvous for criminals of all sorts, in addition to several mining pits indiscriminately dug across the state that endanger human lives.
Checks by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that all manner of vices, such as prostitution and gambling, are major features of these sites.
However, a greater vice is the fact that minors are quitting both primary and secondary schools to work at the mining sites. This is a concerning development in recent years.
In places like Bokkos, Barakin-Ladi, Riyom, Wase, and Kanam local governments, it has been reported that enrolment into schools has steadily been declining.
Quite a significant number of these children can be seen at mining sites, with the active connivance of their parents and guardians, washing minerals and engaging in night mining. This issue has become a burden on the state and a cause of concern.
Addressing newsmen recently over the ugly development, a prominent traditional ruler, the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, expressed concern over the untoward development and bemoaned the high number of out-of-school children in the affected local government areas in the state.
He equally mentioned that majority of illegal mining is carried out with disregard for the guidelines set in the Mining and Minerals Act.
“This is an industry that is supposed to grow the economy of Nigeria, but what is surrounding this industry is very worrisome. A lot of the insecurity that we are witnessing has to do with the mining industry. There is a lot of illegal mining going on also, despite the well-spelt-out rules guiding the industry as contained in the Mining and Minerals Act.
“A lot of our children, both boys and girls, have left schools to work in mining sites, and this comes with all the risk; a lot of them are dying. If we are to give the inventory of children we have lost through this crude way of mining, it is going to be very shocking. If something drastic is not done, we are mortgaging the future of these young ones.
“A lot of criminality comes with this illegal mining; those recruiting these youths should be checkmated because they are not doing anything good for this country. From those mining sites, it is easy to traffic young girls. That trafficking is increasing, particularly here on the Plateau,” he said.
From all indications, the illegal mining activities in the state are having a detrimental effect on school enrolment and have played a major role in the growth of the school dropout rate, particularly in communities where this illegal mining is prevalent. Nigerian Tribune also found out that as a result of the financial stakes, the children had the parents’ active support.
There were incidences where quite a number of these children had lost their lives as a result of collapsed mining pits.
Joseph Pam, a University of Jos 300-level student, said he has been working at such illegal mining sites for the past two years to pay for his education. According to him, he was scared out of it last year and vowed never to go back after nearly 15 people were buried alive when the pit they were working on collapsed on them. They were trapped in and died.
“I was late to the site that day; I would have joined them if I had arrived earlier, but the pit abruptly collapsed as I was preparing to enter. All attempts to save them were unsuccessful. Five of them are from the same family. I sobbed as I left and promised never to come back again. I currently support myself by working for a private security firm. It was an awful experience,” he remarked.
To arrest the pathetic situation, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang recently signed Executive Order 001, 2025, suspending all illegal mining activities across Plateau State and equally setting up a Technical Committee on Mining Reform. It was learnt that the action was borne out of the governor’s resolve to protect lives and property from the escalating threats of insecurity emanating from mining activities and unregulated mining operations within the state.
The state governor, in a statement signed by his director of press and public affairs, Gyang Bere, said the executive order was signed after due consultation with all the relevant stakeholders, mostly traditional rulers and religious leaders, saying that the suspension was necessary to curb illegal mining, mitigate land degradation, combat child labour, and address escalating security threats, including the influx of unregulated foreign miners, which has fuelled banditry, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and illegal firearms possession in mining communities.
“As the Chief Security Officer of the State, it is my duty to ensure the safety of our people. Given the rising security concerns associated with illegal mining, we must take decisive action. All mining operations are hereby suspended until further notice. This measure is aimed at restoring order and ensuring that Plateau’s resources are harnessed for the benefit of its people,” Governor Mutfwang declared.
To oversee the implementation of mining reforms, the governor inaugurated a Technical Committee on Mining Reform, chaired by the Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Dafi.
Addressing newsmen, a member of the Technical Committee who is the Commissioner for Environment, Peter Gwom, appealed to the traditional institutions, religious and community leaders, and licensed miners to support the temporary suspension of all mining activities in their domains as a necessary step toward restoring sanity in the sector.
He charged the youths, who form the bulk of the mining workforce, to exercise patience and understanding during this transition period and told them that the government is aware of the temporary hardship this may cause both the workforce and companies, but remains committed to safeguarding the future by ensuring that mining is conducted legally and responsibly.
The governor directed the security agencies to ensure that they enforce the executive order professionally and without bias in order to ensure full compliance while upholding human rights.
Meanwhile, despite the risk and other horrors that come with illicit mining, some persons do lawful business at these locations. There are legal business ventures in the area that are genuine sources of income. According to Habila Abubakar, a woman who sells food at one of the locations in the Wase Local Government Area, not all activities at such sites are illegal
“As parents, some of us are equally unhappy that kids are participating in this risky endeavour. The government participation is appropriate, but it’s important to remember that the industry has long been ignored while yet providing a living for local residents.”
To prevent minors from engaging in such illegal activities, she recommended that the government set an age limit for artisanal miners and equally begged the government not to let the mining activity suspension last too long and then pass legislation that would forbid minors from mining.
A miner, Timothy Godson, who agreed that the industry requires overhauling and thorough supervision, commended the state government for the suspension of mining activities, adding that virtually all the mining sites, especially the illegal ones, have turned into havens for criminal activities and a threat to society.
“Aside from food vendors, there are also people selling illegal alcohol and harmful substances in most of these locations. Girls, the majority of whom are minors, are frequently spotted loitering there unchecked. With all these, the intervention of government is apt, but the suspension should not drag on for long to enable genuine miners with licenses carry out their legitimate business unhindered,” he said.
Meanwhile, the task force set up by the state government to enforce the suspension has swung into action. The State Commissioner of Police, CP Emmanuel Olugbemiga Adesina, has equally read the riot act to illegal miners in the state, adding that the Command has enough manpower to execute the state government’s suspension on illegal mining activities as the operation involves other security agencies in the state.
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CP Adesina warned those whom the Executive Order affects to comply and avoid being trailed, arrested, and prosecuted in line with the extant law, adding that it is better to voluntarily refrain than to be forced to comply with the order.
He hinted that the police and other security agencies have already made significant deployments in various mining sites in the state and put in place adequate patrols within and around all mining sites to curb the illegal activities.
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