By Polycarp Auta, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
While tin mining in Plateau began in 1902 under the British Administration, large-scale mining started in 1905.
The Land Proclamation Acts of 1904 and 1910 and the Mineral Act of 1903 gave British prospectors and mining companies large portions of land for tin mining.
No doubt, the mining industry led to the development of large market centres in Jos, Bukuru, Mangu, and Shendam, among others. History has it that mining activities attracted immigrants to Jos and environs.
Also, the industry had created jobs for the British and few locals and improved foreign exchange for the colonial government.
However, this industry led to serious environmental pollution, including erosion and land devastation. It also reduced the amount of arable land available for crop production.
For years, mining, particularly the illegal operations, had been a double-edged sword.
While it contributed to the economic survival for many, it also left behind a trail of destruction like child labour, and more critically, a surge in insecurity fueled by unregulated foreign miners who troop into the state.
The infiltration of criminal elements had turned the once peaceful mining communities into flashpoints for banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, drug trafficking and proliferation of illegal arms, among other criminal acts.
The crude nature of the mining activities had claimed the lives of many residents, particularly young people who get trapped in the deep holes while in search of the mineral deposits.
Another concern is that the booming illegal mining activities particularly in Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Bassa, Mangu, Jos North and Jos South local government areas, also made under-aged children to abandon farming, which they were combining with their academics.
Mr Gyang Gerre, the community leader of Jol, in Riyom LGA, accused some parents of influencing their children’s decision to drop out of school and go into mining.
Gerre, who decried the rising number of out of school children in Riyom and other mining communities, said that the ugly situation was posing serious danger to the growth and development of the society.
“Children in both primary and secondary schools no longer go to school; the number of school dropouts in Riyom is alarming.
“This is not a good omen for us. It has adverse effects on the future of the children and the society in general.
“Most children in Riyom don’t go to school or farm again; majority of them have delved into mining.
“The unfortunate aspect is that most of these kids are being encouraged by their parents because they are making quick and easy money,”
Also speaking on the matter, Mr Jonathan Dangyang, from Gyel Community, Jos South, decried the growing trend of sexual immorality and drug abuse among young people at mining sites.
Dangwang particularly decried the rate of unwanted pregnancies among teenage girls, adding that miners were the ones taking advantage of the young girls and impregnating them without taking responsibility.
“Socially, mining activities have massive devastating effects on our communities.
“Young girls of school age get impregnated at mining sites by people who are not ready to take responsibility.
“There is also an unchecked trend of drug abuse among young people; they consume all kinds of illicit substances.
“Worse still is the increasing rate of adultery among married men and women at the mining sites,” he stated.
Evidently, apart from the educational and social consequences associated with mining, there are health implications and increasing deaths recorded on a daily basis at the mining sites scattered all over the state.
Rev. Fr. Stephen Akpe, the parish priest of St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Du in Jos South LGA, confirmed that many deaths were recorded in recent times at different mining sites.
“Recently, I have conducted burial rites for over 20 persons who died in mining holes just within the Du community.
“And this ugly trend happens on a daily basis at mining sites in Zawan, Shen, Gyel, Kwang, Doi, Latiya, and many other communities.
“In one of the instances, over fifteen persons were covered in a hole; and they are largely young people,”
A medical expert, Dr Nyam Azi, also decried the health implication associated with the increasing mining activities in the state.
“Because people carry out these mining activities in a crude way, they don’t adhere to safety measures.
“Apart from the physical injuries, a lot of these miners later come down with pneumoconiosis, diseases of the lungs, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
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“Other diseases include occupational lung disease, pleural effusions, pleural plaques, silicosis, among others,”
Worried by the trend, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang recently issued an executive order suspending all mining activities in the state.
The decision, he said, was arrived at having consulted with traditional rulers, community and religious leaders, and security agencies, among other critical stakeholders in the state.
Though the order had been greeted by wide criticisms from within and outside the state, the governor insisted that the move was in the best interest of the state.
For instance, some of the critics cited the rate of unemployment in the state, insisting that artisanal mining had over time served as a source of income for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.
But the governor, who maintained that the move was a temporary arrangement, added that the reform in the sector would be more beneficial to the artisanal miners.
Corroborating Gerre’s position, Mutfwang, who also decried that illegal mining, had affected school enrolment, called on community and religions leaders to sensitise their subjects on the impending dangers
“Our action is no doubt a timely intervention aimed at reversing this dangerous trend; it is for the collective good of all Plateau citizens.
“By suspending mining activities, the government is taking decisive steps to restore order, protect lives, and ensure that mining operations are conducted responsibly.
“We recently conducted research and discovered that school dropouts in communities in Bassa, Riyom, Jos North, Jos South, Mangu, and Barkin Ladi were distressingly high due to the volume of illegal mining activities.
“Schools in these areas are virtually empty because young men and women have abandoned education and opted for mining.
“The infiltration of criminal networks into mining communities has made life unbearable for many residents; a secure Plateau is a thriving Plateau, and this decision is a critical step toward achieving that goal.
“Unregulated mining has left vast lands degraded, water bodies polluted, and farmlands destroyed. Without immediate action, future generations may inherit a barren and toxic Plateau,” the governor maintained.
The governor, who allayed the fears of a negative economic impact, explained that the long-term vision was to regulate and formalise the mining sector for the benefit of all.
“As part of this reform, we are looking forward to reorganising the entire mining sector; that is why we constituted a technical committee to carry out this assignment
“We plan to have a mining village, where everything that concerns mining activities, including processing, will take place.
“This will enable us to have designated areas where mining activities will take place; this will bring some level of sanity into our state.
“We also intend to profile all miners, and those without licenses will be encouraged to form cooperatives to do the right thing.”
Mutfwang, who called for understanding from residents of the state, advised them to support the move aimed at repositioning the mining sector and making it a more viable and secured venture.
However, only time will tell if these moves will record any success towards achieving the set objectives or not. Though there is no doubt that the success of any reform depends largely on the collective buy-in and support from the public, community leaders, security agencies, and other key stakeholders in the targeted community.
(NANFeatures)