Posted by Taraba State’s Governor Agbu Kefas has warned all of the state’s miners to find alternate sources of income or risk legal repercussions.
The instruction was given by the governor on Friday in the state capital of Jalingo.
When he signed the executive order banning mining in the state, he declared that his administration would not sit by while the state’s natural riches were destroyed.
Putting a stop to such operations, according to Gov. Kefas, who claimed that illicit mining encourages crime in society, will go a long way toward resolving some of the security issues the state is currently facing.
The order, he said, is now necessary “to preserve the state’s natural resources,” and he emphasized that law enforcement will have full authority to hold those found breaking the order accountable.
The governor also urged federal officials and international aid organizations to help the state formulate strategies for putting reforestation programs into action.
Thrilled by the decision, some local leaders who talked with DAILY POST claimed that, if properly carried out, the new direction will lessen the natural disasters that miners frequently inflict in their towns.
They begged the governor to take all reasonable steps to make the order effective throughout the state.