By Mardiyyah Abubakar
Nasarawa State Government has banned children below 18 from participating in mining activities across the state’s 13 local government areas.
The government also set up a special monitoring and enforcement team to tackle illegal mining and child labour in mining communities.
The Commissioner for Environment, Solid Minerals and Mining, Margaret Elayo, announced the measures on Friday in Lafia, the state capital.
Elayo said the government took the decision following the recent deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.
She said the government would no longer allow young residents or other individuals to engage in illegal mining activities that endanger lives and damage the environment.
According to the commissioner, the new task force will inspect mining communities and sites and arrest individuals or companies operating without the required licences and government clearance.
She said the ministry had received reports that some mining sites in Wamba, Nasarawa-Eggon and Kokona LGAs were exposing children to health risks and keeping them away from school.
“Henceforth, no child below the age of 18 is allowed to be found at any mining site in Nasarawa State, either as a labourer, errand runner or food vendor.”
Elayo warned that companies, site operators or parents who violate the directive would face arrest and prosecution under the Child Rights Law and mining regulations.
She urged mining companies to employ only adults aged 18 and above, provide adequate training and supply appropriate safety equipment.
She also advised parents to keep their children away from mining sites because of the health and safety risks.
The commissioner said the state would work with security agencies, traditional rulers and community leaders to enforce the ban.
She added that the government was working with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and other relevant agencies to organise artisanal miners into cooperatives for better regulation and safety.
Elayo stressed that the ban was not aimed at stopping mining but at ensuring that mining activities were carried out responsibly and sustainably.
Nasarawa has significant deposits of solid minerals, including lithium, tin and gold, attracting large numbers of artisanal miners to the state.
The development follows the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who were arrested in M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto villages in Niger State on September 15 and 16.
