Some stakeholders in the mining sector have commended the federal government for reversing the five-year ban on mineral exploration activities in Zamfara.

The stakeholders praised the government in separate interviews with journalists on Tuesday in Abuja.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, recently announced the reversal of the ban on mining exploration in Zamfara, citing significant improvement in the security situation in the state.

The federal government had banned all forms of mining exploration activities in Zamfara in 2019 following alarming reports of banditry and its link to illegal mining.

Dele Ayankele, the national president of the Miners Association of Nigeria, thanked the minister for the move, explaining that the ban deprived the government of accruable revenues.

Mr Ayankele stated that insecurity and banditry, which led to the ban, had also wasted unnecessary budgetary allocations to maintain peace in the area.

“This is not to talk of unquantifiable losses to the mining leaseholders in Zamfara, who might have lost their titles due to non-remittances of appropriate fees and levies as at when due.

“Also holders may have experienced the inability to service loans and its attendant piling debts, rotten equipment, loss of manpower and social embarrassments due to inability to service family livelihoods,“ he said.

He commended the minister of solid minerals on efforts leading to the ban reversal.

According to him, the move’s effectiveness will be determined by the measures put in place to sustain the security recorded in Zamfara. He acknowledged the minister’s determination to secure mining sites across the country, particularly through inter-ministerial collaborations.

“All these will be unveiled early in the coming year as leaseholders attempt to resume mining operations,“ he said.

Similarly, Patrick Odiegwu, the secretary of the Association of Miners and  Processors of Barite, described the reversal as a step in the right direction and a welcome development.

He stated that continuous suspension of economic activities could lead to more insecurity, as the residents in the affected areas might become idle and resort to unlawful means to sustain themselves.

According to Mr Odiegwu, the government should consolidate on the reversal by leveraging advanced technology to secure mining areas and beyond.

He explained that analogue security measures may not address insecurity effectively compared to a modern monitoring system incorporating artificial intelligence.

“If we want to apply guns towards securing our environment, we will continue to have insecurity. If we apply technology, huge artificial intelligence, and robotics, you don’t even need to lose one soldier.

“Government has the capacity to monitor everybody in Nigeria, individually, if such a system is available,“ he said.

He emphasised that proactive measures were necessary to keep bandits on the run and maintain the peace that had been established.

(NAN)