The Nasarawa State House of Assembly has urged mining companies to adhere to environmental laws to avoid endangering the lives of inhabitants.
Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Mr. Mohammed Omadefu, stated this on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, in Lafia, the state capital, when he hosted a team from the Netherlands under the auspices of the Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation.
Omadefu said that the house would continue to monitor the activities of mining companies in order to ensure that they adhere strictly to environmental laws.
“We will not allow companies in the mining sector to endanger inhabitants in the state by compromising environmental laws.
“This is to promote the health of our people and for the overall development of the state,” he said.
The chairman promised the team that the climate change bill he sponsored will soon be passed into law.
He appealed to the government of the Netherlands to shift its attention to erosion-affected areas in Nasarawa State as the programme winds down.
The lawmaker assured them of the assembly’s commitment to pass laws and resolutions that would have positive impacts on the lives of the people of the state.
Earlier, Mr Joseph Ibrahim, the Team Lead/Programme Manager, Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation, said the intervention has been implemented in eight African countries in the last four years.
Ibrahim said that Nasarawa State was ripe for climate policy to guarantee climate justice.
The programme manager also said that the visit was to appreciate the house for legislating on a bill seeking to curb the impact of climate change.
“And to brainstorm on how to mitigate resultant effects of climate change,” he said.
By Awayi Kuje