By  Noel ONOJA

In furtherance of the effort of the government to curtail the nefarious activities of illegal miners in the country, the Ministry of mines and Steel Development has purchased and distributed six surveillance vehicles to enhance the monitoring activities of mines officers at the mines sites of the country.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Musa Mohammed Sada, commissioning the six surveillance vehicles, said that the vehicles which were purchased at the rate of 8.5 million naira each, can access mines sites which other vehicles cannot get into. The minister pointed out that “the purpose of the vehicles was the fact that they were standard mining vehicles anywhere in the world, and there was the need to have one in each state of the federation to ensure proper monitoring”.

He noted that one of the problems hampering the regulatory operations in the mineral and metal sector was the inability of mines officers to get into the far and remote areas where illegal mining operations are prevalent, adding that “if we are able to get any funds intervention from the government, we will be able to buy a large number of vehicles so that every state of the federation can have one”. The ministry also assured of proper maintenance of the vehicles as mechanism has been put in place with the company that supplied the vehicles.

While presenting the bunch of keys of the surveillance vehicles to the South West Zonal Mines Coordinator, Engr Emmanuel Alagada on behalf of other beneficiaries, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Linus Awute, said the government appreciated the Herculean task faced by mines officers in reaching the mines sites in order for them to carry out monitoring of mining activities.

The Permanent Secretary said efforts of the ministry are in top gear in proffering solutions to those problems facing mining operations in the country, adding that the gesture was aimed at increasing the revenue accruable to government from the mining operations, enhancing the regulatory functions of the government, as well as reducing the rate of illegal mining operations in the country.

The South West Zonal Coordinator, Engr. Emmanuel Alagada, who received the bunch of keys to the vehicles on behalf of the beneficiaries, thanked the government for the kind gesture, adding that illegal miners are in trouble as the presentation of vehicles will go a long way at promoting operational activities at the sites, increasing revenue generation while the monitoring of explosive storage facilities will also be enhanced.

The first round of mines surveillance vehicles were shared to Zamfara and Ogun States and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Meanwhile, quarry operators in the country have been advised to comply with Nigeria’s mining law and regulations for sustainable development of the nation’s minerals and metal sector. The minister, who also visited a number of mining sites in Abuja, said the purpose was to establish a regular interface with the operators to sort out operational challenges and find ways of addressing them.