Following the continuous clampdown on illegal mining activities in the state, the Enugu State government has reiterated its unwavering commitment to supporting genuine investment activities by providing investment enablers for ease of doing business.
These include adequate security infrastructure, an attractive tax regime, and road projects.
During the State Executive Council Meeting over the weekend, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Kingsley Udeh, disclosed this.
He mentioned that the state had resolved to establish the Environmental Remediation Trust Fund (ERTF) and the State Security Trust Fund (SSTF).
In these funds, miners who are legally sanctioned by the government with genuine licenses would contribute an agreed sum of money for remediation projects that would safeguard the environment and mitigate health hazards resulting from mining activities.
It would also ensure adequate security of life and property.
The commissioner criticised illegal miners for destroying the environment and contaminating people’s sources of livelihood.
He stated that the state would stop at nothing to ensure that all illegal mining sites were shut down and culprits brought to book for their crimes, as their activities contravened the provisions of state laws.
He further accused them of causing environmental, economic, and security sabotage against the people of the state.
He added that those with the desire to invest in mining activities should approach both the federal and state governments for proper licensing, certification, and compliance processes.
“The illegal mining activities are causing huge environmental damage.
A lot of our people are exposed to risks associated with water pollution, and some of the channels of water now contain carcinogenic elements that are cancerous, exposing our people to ill health,” he said.
According to him, the state decided to introduce measures such as the establishment of the ERTF, the SSTF, and other collaborative initiatives after receiving reports of independent assessments on the activities of legal miners.
These activities posed severe threats to the environment and the health of the citizens.
The measures aim to cushion the effects of the challenges and call legal or genuine miners to their corporate social responsibilities.
“These legal miners will have to participate in human capital development so that they do not just come and mine in these localities but also discharge their corporate social responsibility.
This will be in the form of collaboration with the state in establishing vocational training schools to train our people to acquire technical skills and develop capacity to work in the area of mining and other engineering-related works,” the AG added.
Dr Udeh, while highlighting the state’s revenue generation efforts and its commitment to achieving a zero per cent poverty headcount while moving the state economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, noted that the miners would have to pay taxes for their truck haulage of tonnes of coal on the state road.
The deadweight of their trucks damages the roads, and these taxes would help the state continue to maintain roads and make them accessible for citizens.
The AG also added that the SSTF would be used to maintain and provide additional security infrastructure for the safety of investors, miners, and the entire Enugu population.
