The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has issued a stern warning to illegal operators against extracting minerals from abandoned mine pits without proper licences, following a fatal collapse in Plateau State.
The tragedy occurred on Wednesday evening when an abandoned tin mine pit collapsed at Kassa in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, claiming the lives of several illegal miners. Mr Alake, reacting through a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise, expressed that the incident could have been avoided had the victims formed a cooperative and obtained the requisite permits.
Such permits, he explained, would have entitled them to training from the ministry’s Artisanal Mining Department and provided a sustainable source of income. The minister extended his condolences to the Plateau State Government and its people, urging artisanal miners nationwide to heed the lessons of this tragedy.
“The challenge before the state and the Federal Government is how to turn these potential pits of death into centres of joyful prosperity,” Mr Alake stated.
He disclosed that over 4,000 mine pits remain from operations by Amalgamated Tin Mines Ltd and its successors, Consolidated Tin Mines Ltd and Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Ltd. The minister called on investors to partner with the government in repurposing these abandoned sites for energy, tourism, and fishery projects, describing private-sector collaboration as the fastest route to transforming such hazards into productive assets.
To date, the ministry has rehabilitated 59 abandoned pits and is deploying advanced Geographic Information System satellite mapping and artificial intelligence to identify and assess legacy tin pits across the country. This initiative, implemented through a public-private partnership with ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance and geomatics specialist Intomatics, is being piloted in Plateau State.
Prospective investors have been advised to contact the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office and the ministry’s Mines and Environmental Compliance Department, or to apply to the Solid Minerals Development Fund.
To prevent future occurrences, Mr Alake disclosed that he has pioneered the establishment of an Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation Fund, which will require mining companies to contribute resources for rehabilitating pits should operators fail to do so upon mine closure. “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.