Nigeria’s mining minister has warned illegal operators against working abandoned mine pits without licences after seven miners were killed in a pit collapse in Plateau state, while the government plans to repurpose thousands of abandoned sites for new economic uses.
Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dele Alake said the miners could have avoided the tragedy in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, if they had formed a cooperative and obtained the necessary permits.
The miners were killed on Wednesday when an abandoned tin mine collapsed, according to a statement by Alake’s special assistant on media, Lara Owoeye-Wise.
Alake said licensed artisanal miners could receive field training from the ministry’s Artisanal Mining Department and gain access to more reliable income streams.
He urged artisanal miners across Nigeria to learn from the incident and called for greater efforts to turn abandoned mine sites into productive assets.
“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.
Nigeria has more than 4,000 mine pits abandoned by Amalgamated Tin Mines Ltd and successor companies Consolidated Tin Mines Ltd and Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Ltd, Alake said.
The government is seeking private-sector investment to convert the sites for energy, tourism and fisheries projects, he said, adding that public-private partnerships offered the fastest route to rehabilitating the abandoned mines.
The ministry has so far rehabilitated 59 abandoned mine pits, Alake said.
AI to map abandoned mines
The government is also deploying satellite-based Geographic Information System mapping and artificial intelligence to identify and assess legacy tin mining sites, as it seeks to reduce risks for investors and accelerate their rehabilitation.
The initiative is being implemented through a public-private partnership involving ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance and geomatics specialist Intomatics, with Plateau selected as the pilot state.
Alake said the programme would help develop workflows for reclaiming thousands of legacy tin pits across the state.
Prospective investors can seek information from the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office and the ministry’s Mines and Environmental Compliance Department, he said. Investors can also apply for financing through the Solid Minerals Development Fund.
The government is separately establishing an Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation Fund aimed at ensuring mining companies set aside money for restoring mine sites after operations end.
“Very soon, we shall conclude discussions with the fund managers. Henceforth, mining companies must pay to the fund so that it can rehabilitate mine pits if the companies do not do so during closure,” he said.
The move comes as Nigeria seeks to expand its mining sector beyond oil while tackling illegal mining, unsafe operations and the environmental damage associated with poorly managed mine sites.
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