Miners Are Not Responsible For Land Degradation In Nigeria-Evangelist Paul Gindiri

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Yakubu Busari

The Chairman of Nigerian Miners Association Plateau State Chapter, Evangelist Musa Paul Gindiri has debunked allegation that miners are responsible for land degradation and erosion that wash away the surface of the earth through mining activities.

He called on community leaders tribal, ethnic association to be alert to ensure that they sign agreement with any company embarking in mining within their area.

Evangelist Musa gave this advised in an interview with our correspondent at his residence in sparkling junction Dadin kowa, Jos South Local Government Area of plateau state.

He said, “you cannot compare the level of degradation been carried out by framing activities but they now blame miners for unwholesome practice in the mining sector”.

Evangelist Musa lamented that most of our people in the local communities are ignorance of mining cooperation which 90% of human resources acquire came from the earth through mining.

Evangelist Musa appealed to federal government to make amendment of laws in the mining sector which had gave foreigners more opportunity in the mining of solid mineral as an exclusive list.

He disagreed also that state government should have a say in the mineral extraction from their States by liaison with the federal government.

The chairman appreciated the present government for looking inward in putting emphasis towards diversifying from the mono cultural economy to alternative measure.

However, he said government is concern about the critical sector to use it to boost income but the biggest problem is how plateau state government can benefit from the mining sector.

He raised concern that 100 years ago when the tin mining was discovered the main stay of  the country Nigeria was not an entity ,tin mining was found in commercial quantity but the amalgamation in 1914 the country witness transfer of technology and mechanics stages which derived the benefit of  knowledge through mining.

Gindiri stressed that so many factors has brought several reason that are responsible for regulatory activities in the exclusive list reserve by federal government.

He pointed out that the past and the present government have not understand how to harness the potential of using miners in the mining sector without States been beneficiary in other to diversify and end revenue generation that can end the global recession.

According to him, he disagreed with some views that  some miners are been called illegal miners ,some people are just trying to give miners a bad name to hang them ,mining is not illegal not even criminal rather it is an activities which had been there over the century that made many nations to advanced today.

Gindiri cautioned that ,if there is no illegal farmers operating in our land is the same thing no illegal miners ,we are actually talking about unregulated artist miner ,see our Nigeria economy is been driving by the informal sector which include, market women, small scale business ,adding, it’s the informal sector that is driving and mining are not exceptional.

Evangelist Musa also said mining has done a lot of positive thing to Nigeria than the narrative of condemning that erosion and land degradation are caused by mining activities.

He challenged government to use abandoned ponds to improve irrigation system of farming which will boost the agriculture sector both in the state and federal level.

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