Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, has urged religious leaders across the state to use their sermons and places of worship to discourage parents from exposing children to artisanal mining.
Bago made the call on Tuesday when the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, led by Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, paid him a condolence visit over the death of 37 teenage artisanal miners while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The governor said the state government had made basic and secondary education free, stressing that parents therefore had no reason to keep their children out of school and expose them to dangerous mining activities.
“We are bedevilled with the crisis that happened in the custody of NSCDC. Please, call on parents not to expose their children to this dangerous kind of business,” Bago said.
He appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders to use their platforms to encourage parents to enrol their children in school rather than allowing them to engage in artisanal mining.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure enrolment into school is encouraged because both basic and secondary education in Niger State are free for all our children,” he said.
Bago further assured the delegation that his administration would follow the ongoing inquiry into the deaths to its logical conclusion, saying the circumstances surrounding the tragedy must be fully established.
“This tragedy was avoidable, but because of lack of professionalism on the part of the officers, we have found ourselves with 37 deaths in our hands,” he said.
“This we cannot sweep under the carpet and by the grace of God and the oath of office we are going to ensure we pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.”
Earlier, the Chairman of CAN in Niger State, Most Rev. Bulus Yohanna, who is also the Catholic Bishop of Kontagora Diocese, expressed the association’s condolences to the governor, the government and families of the deceased.
Represented by his deputy, Rev. Joshua Marcus, Yohanna described the deaths of the young artisanal miners in NSCDC custody as tragic and called for a thorough investigation to establish the true cause of the incident.
He commended Governor Bago for what he described as prioritising human lives over politics, particularly his decision to postpone the flag-off of his campaign activities in the wake of the tragedy.
“Shifting the flag off of your campaign shows how humane you are and we thank you for ensuring peace is restored,” he said.
The CAN chairman prayed for the repose of the souls of the deceased and for God to heal the families who lost their children, while appealing to the governor to ensure that the circumstances surrounding the deaths are fully unravelled.
Prayers were subsequently offered by the immediate past Chairman of CAN in the state, Rev. Mathias Echioda.
