The Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abduallahi Gana Muhammadu played host to the Honourable Minister of Mining and Steel Development Abubakar Bawa Bwari while on a working visit to the Corps Headquarters Sauka Abuja.
The CG while welcoming his guest enumerated the key roles of the Corps mostly in the protection of Critical Infrastructure and National Assets, and the effort made so far in steaming the tide of illegal Mining in Nigeria.
Gana noted that, since the signing of MOU between the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and the Ministry of Interior in 2016 for the Corps to protect all mining sites against illegal miners, several arrest have been made with some illegal miners been prosecuted and illegal sites shut down in Zamfara, Osun, Plateau, Imo , FCT, Nassarawa among others. He stressed that recently, some foreigners of Chinese origin were arrested in Plateau State for illegal mining and their documents seized.
Gana appealed to the Honourable Minister that the Corps needs logistics support in carrying out this onerous assignment as well as clarification between the function of the state government and that of the Federal in curtailing these menace.
The Honourable Minister appreciated the effort of the Corps in tackling illegal mining activities and acknowledged that the record of achievement made so far through the report submitted by the Corps is highly impressive and commendable. He assured the Corps that the Ministry has set up committee to reviewed the operational tactics of the various stakeholders in the protection of Mining sites. However, as soon as the report is completed the Ministry will inaugurate ”the Mining Surveillance Squad and the Mining Defenders”.
He reiterated that in the nearest future the Mining Sector will contribute massively to the growth of the economy based on government policy on diversification of the economy in trying to reduce the over dependent on the oil sector but for it to come to fruition, all hands must be on deck in other to work for the betterment of the Country in tackling illegal Mining.
Considering the fact that economic saboteurs have devised more sophisticated means of carrying out this
nefarious acts by conniving with foreigners, the Ministry is putting modalities in place in other to train the Defenders locally and possibly internationally in countries like South Africa where Mining activities is well
pronounced for them to identify the different types of mining particles that could be easily taken away without been noticed, he stated.
Honourable Bwari assured the Commandant General of the Corps and his team that since the Ministry is
satisfied with the role being played by the Corps, the issue of logistics, vehicles and budget for the assignment would soon be a thing of the past as the ministry is posed to fulfil its own part of the bargain.
Similarly, Honourable Ali Gombe of the House of Representative eulogized the Commandant General and the success story of the Corps under his watch. He acknowledged that, the Corps have worked actively and tirelessly in achieving her mandate, most especially in tackling the act of vandalism in the country and other associate crimes. He assured the Corps of the support of National Assembly in areas of budgetary allocation and other areas of need within their purview.
ACC EMMANUEL
OKEH
CDPRO
