Yobe set to deal with illegal miners
Yobe State Government has urged miners operating in the state without license to obtain one from the relevant authorities or risk being sanctioned accordingly.
Hon. Sidi Yakubu Karasuwa, Chairman of the State Committee for Mobilization and Sensitization of Communities with Mineral Deposits, who also doubles as the Commissioner of Environment, handed down the warning when he led other members of the committee on an advocacy visit to some emirate councils in the state.
At Fika Emirate, the Commissioner explained to the monarch that the purpose of the visit was to enlighten and create awareness on the dangers of illegal mining in their domains, noting that government has put necessary mechanisms in place to sanitize the sector for the development of the state.
He maintained that whoever wants to mine in the state must henceforth register and obtain licence from Federal Government before can be allowed to operate in any part of the state.
Karasuwa added that registered miners must also inform emirate council(s) where the mineral resource is available and that emirate(s) must also convey the message down to District, Village as well as Ward heads respectively.
Alhaji Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idrissa, the Emir of Fika, represented by the Council’s Secretary, Baba Alkali, lauded the initiative and, therefore, commended Governor, Mai Mala Buni for constituting the committee, while assuring that his kingdom will support the move one hundred percent support .
The committee was also at Pataskum and Tikau emirate councils where the same message was delivered to them by the Committee’s Chairman, Hon. Sidi Yakubu Karasuwa.
Both Emirs have agreed in principles to wholeheartedly support the initiative aimed at reducing to barest minimum indiscriminate mining which they believed is harmful to the environment.