Nasarawa Assembly tasks mining companies on environment laws
The Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on Housing, Environment and Natural Resources, has urged mining companies operating in the state to adhere strictly to environmental laws. This, the committee said, was in order to make the environment safer and healthier for the citizens of the state.
Mr Mohammed Omadefu, the Chairman of the committee, made the call on Wednesday when he led other members of the committee to LandMass Resources Development Limited, Udege Area Administrative Council. The Avatar LandMass Resources Development LTD is a mining company exploring Lithium in Udege Area Administrative Council of Nasarawa State.
Omadefu said that the inspection visit was part of the constitutional responsibilities of the House. He said, we are here to fulfill our constitutional responsibilities as an arm of government as the constitution as empowered us to oversight the environment for the benefit of our people. We are here to see things for ourselves with the view of correcting any abnormalities, if discovered.
As the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has empowered us to oversight activities on the environment, air, water and others in the state. We are also here to know whether your company is adhering to the Community Development Agreement (CDA) in line with mining international best practices or not. What we want from you is nothing but safer and healthy environment and the development of our people.
Omadefu said that the committee would leave no stone unturned to ensure that right things are done by mining companies in the state. We will continue to do our duties by visiting mining sites and others to ensure that right things are done for the betterment of our people, he said.
Responding, Mr Jack Jiang, Managing Director of the firm commended the committee for ensuring that the environment was safe and healthy for the citizens of the community and the state at large.
Jiang, who spoke through the Public Relations Manager of the company, Mr Benny Modey, also appreciated them for creating an enabling environment for them to operate via synergizing with the state government in that direction. He reiterated their commitment to adhering strictly to the extant environmental laws for the overall development of the state.
