Kassa 7: Alake Warns Illegal Miners, Unveils Plan To Reclaim 4,000 Abandoned Pits

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has warned illegal miners against extracting minerals from abandoned mine pits without licences, following the death of seven persons in a pit collapse in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Alake, who described the incident as tragic and avoidable, said the victims could have been better protected had they formed a cooperative and obtained the necessary permits to operate legally.
Reacting to the collapse of the abandoned tin mine pit, the minister said obtaining a permit would have enabled the artisanal miners to benefit from field training provided by the ministry’s Artisanal Mining Department, while also providing them with a more sustainable source of income.
He urged artisanal miners across the country to learn from the tragedy, stressing that operating illegally in abandoned mine pits exposes lives to unnecessary risks.
Alake commiserated with the government and people of Plateau State over the incident and prayed for the repose of the deceased.
He, however, said the tragedy also highlighted the urgent need to transform abandoned mine pits into productive economic assets.
“The challenge before the state and the Federal Government is how to turn these potential pits of death into centres of joyful prosperity,” the minister said.
According to him, more than 4,000 mine pits were dug by Amalgamated Tin Mines Limited and its successor companies, Consolidated Tin Mines Limited and Nigerian Tin and Allied Products Limited.
He said the Federal Government was willing to partner with investors interested in repurposing the abandoned pits for energy, tourism and fishery projects.
Alake said public-private collaboration remained the most proactive and fastest approach to converting the abandoned sites into productive assets, noting that the ministry had so far rehabilitated 59 abandoned mine pits.
To further de-risk investment in the rehabilitation of the sites, the minister said the ministry had commenced a strategic initiative to deploy advanced Geographic Information System (GIS) satellite mapping and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
He said the initiative was being implemented through a public-private partnership with ImPPPact Nigeria Alliance, alongside geomatics specialist, Intomatics, with Plateau State serving as the pilot beneficiary.
According to him, the initiative is aimed at accurately locating and characterising the thousands of legacy tin pits and developing appropriate workflows for their reclamation.
The minister urged interested investors to direct enquiries to the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office and the ministry’s Mines and Environmental Compliance Department, while also applying to the funding programme of the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF).
Alake also disclosed that the ministry had pioneered the establishment of the Environmental Protection and Rehabilitation Fund to prevent the recurrence of abandoned mine pits.
He said the initiative was designed to ensure that mining companies provide funding for the rehabilitation of mine sites at the end of their operations.
“Very soon, we shall conclude discussions with the fund managers. Thenceforth, mining companies must pay to the Fund so that it can rehabilitate mine pits if the companies don’t do so during closure,” he said.