THE Federal Government has admitted to the challenges it faces in curtailing activities of illegal miners across the country, which was brought into sharp focus some weeks ago with the death of over 300 people, including women and children in Zamfara State.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Musa Sada, who disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja, noted that activities of illegal miners was becoming increasingly rampant, adding that even the entire forces of the Nigeria police would not be able to contain the menace of illegal miners in the country.

Sada pointed out that investigations carried out by his ministry and other officials revealed that the deaths of the villagers in Zamfara State were entirely the handiwork of illegal miners.

He said, “The issue of illegal miners has become one that is increasingly difficult to contain. This is because of the very difficult terrains in which mining activities are carried out. Some of the locations of the illegal mines are remote and almost inaccessible.

“Also, whenever these illegal miners get wind of the presence of the authorities, they easily disappear into thin air leaving the hapless villagers and other locals to bear the brunt of their nefarious activities.

He added that, “It is important to note that these illegal miners abound everywhere across the country, and it would be practically impossible to attempt to check them all. We can’t stop them from operating, but we can find ways to harness their efforts and create better value for them and the economy at large.”

He explained that the government was doing its best to enhance the education and enlightenment of the mining communities, especially on the dangers involved in the improper handling and processing of crushed rocks from the illegal mining sites.

“We are also working with the village heads and traditional chiefs to organize and formalize activities of the miners. We also encourage the artisanal and small scale miners to join co_operatives for effective mobilization as well as ease of access to extension and other support services,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the minister has disclosed that that government has recorded more success in its efforts at generating reliable geophysical and geochemical data through the Airborne Geophysical Survey Programme.

According to him, “The release of the data has generated tremendous increase in investors’ confidence in the Nigerian mining sector. For instance, over 3,000 exploration licenses have been granted during the period while over 9,000 mining titles applications have been processed.”

As a follow_up, the minister noted, a number of junior mining companies have begun exploration in various parts of the country, including the Canadian firm, CGA that recently announced a major gold find in Ilesha, Osun State.
He said other major companies that are active in the field as a result of availability of quality data include ERIN, Savannah Gold, Ecophenix, among others.
Sada also announced the ongoing execution of the last phase of the Airborne geophysics in the Niger Delta region, which has been made possible with the return of peace in the area.
He explained that due to the uniqueness of the region which accounts for about four percent of the country’s land space, the contract could not be awarded with the phase two contract.

“The peculiar geological setting calls for a different approach and methodology than the rest of the country. There was, therefore, a need to modify the geological parameters applied in previous exercises,” he explained.

He said the expected completion date has been fixed for September 2010, adding that when completed, the entire Nigerian land mass would have been 100 percent covered placing the country ahead of any other country in Africa and most countries in the world in geophysical coverage.