The exploitation of minors as cheap labor by mining corporations in Taraba State has increased the number of out-of-school children.
This was the assessment of the Chairman of Taraba State Special Task Force on illegal mining and deforestation, Brigadier General Jeremiah Faransa(Rtd) in Jalingo, who noted that most of the Government forest reserves in the state have now been turned into mining sites by illegal miners.
The actions of illegal miners and unlicensed tree fellers endanger Taraba state’s biological system.
The state task force on illegal mining is overburdened, as several villages in the state have abandoned farming due to land degradation.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, illegal miners are now recruiting school-aged children as cheap labor.
While the state is not against the activities of investors in the mining sector, the major concerns revolve round due diligence and environmental protection.
Some residents shared their views on how the government can address child labour by the mining companies.
The suspension of all forms of mining activities by Governor Kefas Agbu and the setting up of a Special Task Force to enforce his order is now changing the negative narrative.
The government has a lot to do to stop the recruitment of the school age children as workers by the miners.
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