From Gyang Bere, Jos
In recent times, the active involvement of middle age women in artisan mining against all odds in Plateau State clearly portray the raising wave of unemployment, inadequate man power development and abject poverty ravaging the inhabitants.
The task of mineral exploration was programmed for the male falk during the colonial era due to the onerous task of the exercise, but this values are gradually eroding, thereby paving ways for women and young girl’s participation in mining exploration to fend for themselves.
Mining in Plateau North has become one of the predominant sources of livelihood, particularly for the destitute who require no formal skills to explore mineral resources to generate money to keep body and soul alive, going forward.
A visit to one of the mining sites at Bukuru Low-cost in Jos South Local Government Area shows a significant population of women, who are engaged in one activity or another, including the exploration of tin and columbite.
It was observed that women also go inside the pit to excavate tin and columbite, wash to extract the product, which is their primary concern for money and also sale the sharp sand for building and other activities.
However, school children who are on holiday are not left out as most of them visit the mining sites for one activity or the other to get pocket money and sometimes school fees. It was gathered that because of how lucrative the business could be sometimes, parents around the neighborhood restrict their children access to mining sites during holidays.
A 35-year-old mother of six, Lidya Chung, who is a miner just like her husband, said she has been into mining since her younger days and that the exercise has influenced her life and family positively.
Mrs. Chung was seen participating actively in the mining exploration with men who take the lead. She was joyous carrying out her assignment with high hope that she would be reimbursed at the close of work with a handsome amount of money.
She said: “I was not opportuned to go to school but I am contented with what I am doing because each day I come out for mining, at least I go home with something to take care of my family.
“My husband has gone to another mining site and when we get home in the evening, we will all place before each other what we were able to secure for the day. You should expect that he will always bring more than I do, because I do not have the same energy as he has.
“What we have being doing over the years is to use such resources to pay for the education of my children. I have six children and all of them are in school, some are at the higher institutions, some are in secondary school and one is at the nursery school.
“We used this resources also to buy fertilizer for farming and other necessary domestic materials that will improve our living condition, that is why I am here. I cannot fold my arms and allow poverty to pervade through my live and generation; we desire to change the narrative. If I did not go to school because nobody sent me, my children deserve to go to school to right the wrong.”
However, there was a sudden expression when our reporter advanced towards another set of women who were washing their mineral resources. One of the women was driving the process, another was pushing the sand while the other was in charge of water supply.
Both of them beamed some smiles as our reporter greeted them and wished them well. One replied that they were into mining because of no job and that was what they have being doing for survival.
She said: “I hope you have not come here to see what we are doing to go and report to government. Why are you even taking our pictures? Government has failed to improve our living condition, we don’t have jobs and see how poverty is ravaging everywhere.
“Those conditions have compelled us to join our male counterparts into mining and to the glory of God, we get something little to take care of our families. We can’t remain idle for years waiting for government to better our condition.”
It was gathered that this set of women also sale the sand, after extracting the minerals for additional resources, which indicated that nothing is wasted at the mining site.
Also, a 50-year-old miner, Joshua Daniel, who has been into mining for more than 20 years said he is into farming and mining to grow his family. He said in their group, they make more than N20, 000 daily and each person goes home with at least N3,000.
He explained that mining has become part and parcel of their lives, saying they are always work in their farms during the raining season and go for mining during the dry season when they are not engaged.
Daniel said the work will become alot more easier if government intervened with modern technological equipments such as excavators to help in clearing the top layer of the sand. He raised serious concern over the inability to sell the product at the required price, saying middle men are always not giving them good price.
However, the chief executive officer of Dongai Investment and Property Development, Luka Zang, whose company processes the mineral resources into different brands, said mining has been going on in the sites since the colonial era.
He noted that because the mining is done directly inside the river, people cannot carry on with the exercise when the river is flooded, which makes it seasonal.
Zang buys and processes the mining within the area to remove tin, columbite and other materials and sell to Chinese companies who export the minerals.
He said: “I own and operate a mining company which has been in existence for a few years. I have registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission and Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development. This mining site has been existing right from the colonial era.
“But it is seasonal now because of rain. Once the river is flooded, there is no how people can work there again but there are other mining sites that people relocate to. It will interest you to know that World Bank has done great work here which make work more easier for the people.
“The World Bank has an erosion control project along the river and when they clear the surface of the river bank, it makes it easier for people to access the mineral resources easily. That is what has helped the people here.
“You can see both men and women, even secondary school students mining in the river. Most of them come around during holidays only but they go home with something that keep their families moving.”
He appeal to Plateau State Government to look into the activities of mining which is capable of increasing internally generated revenue in the state.
However, the Governor-elect, Caleb Mutfwang, has shown sufficient interest in transforming the mineral sector in the state based on his recent engagement with the minister of mines and steel development, Olamilekan Adegbite, where he solicited for favourable terms for mineral exploration and mining of abundant natural resources in Plateau for the development of the state.
