The Kano state government has issued a strong warning to local miners to refrain from encroaching on village settlements during their mining operations.
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During an assessment tour of a mining site in Zainabi village, located in the Doguwa Local Government Area, the Director of Environmental Protection, Control, and Safety, Sha’aya’u Jibrin, delivered this warning.
As stated by the ministry’s Director of Public Enlightenment, Adamu Ibrahim Dabo, Jibrin voiced his concerns regarding the environmental harm caused by artisanal miners working too close to residential areas.
He instructed local miners to stop any further encroachment and to initiate land reclamation by refilling the excavated areas with appropriate soil.
Jibrin clarified that this initiative aims to restore the environment and enable local residents to plant economic trees, which would yield long-term advantages beyond just mining.
Hamza Safiyanu Kachako, the Commissioner of the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Natural Resources, recognized the environmental issues brought about by unregulated mining but expressed optimism that the involvement of formal investors would help transform the sector and benefit the communities that host these activities.