Kebbi State government has registered 20,000 artisanal miners under the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Initiative introduced by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Abubakar Dakingari, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, made this known in a statement he issued in Birnin Kebbi on Friday.
He said the programme was aimed at giving legal backing and support to artisanal miners.
“We appreciate the Federal Government for making Kebbi State a beneficiary of the programme as this initiative has put a halt to activities of illegal miners and improved the economic prosperity of youths, thereby reducing insecurity,’’ he said.
He said also that the governor had assured that the state government would take appropriate action to resettle victims of the recent flooding in the state and provide support to farmers to recoup losses.
He added that before schools resume on Monday, the state government would make speedy arrangements to provide alternative classrooms for those whose schools were being used as camps for Internally Displaced People.
The gold mining Initiative launched in Birnin Yauri, Ngaski Local Government of Kebbi State early this year, also covers artisanal miners in Osun State.
NAN
