The Kogi State House of Assembly declared on Thursday that it had taken action to cease all illicit mining throughout the state and to settle any remaining land disputes within communities.
After his committee was established, Abu Onoruoiza Jibril, the chairman of the House Committee on Land, Housing, Environment, and Natural Resources, revealed this while answering questions from an Assembly journalist in Lokoja.
Jibril, the current legislator in charge of the Ajaokuta State constituency, made it clear that the Assembly will no longer tolerate any type of shady behavior in the areas of mining, land, or housing in Kogi State.
You may recall that the Speaker of the House announced the reconstitution of the new members of the Land, Housing, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee on Thursday, August 37, 2023, during the House’s plenary session.
“The Committee System is the Engine Component of the Legislative Process. When it is effective, it operates as the functional machinery of the legislative institution to demonstrate separation of powers, overseeing the operations of the other arms of government on behalf of the people, and obtaining pertinent information to facilitate the development of restructuring the statutory fabric of the State.
Members of this committee are knowledgeable about the issues relating to land, housing, the environment, and natural resources in the state; as a result, they will play a key role in reviewing, scrutinizing, monitoring, and overseeing the programs of the ministry and its agencies.
“The earth is fragile right now. We are fully aware of the effects it has had on the city of Lokoja. Most likely, we’ve all heard that some people sell a certain piece of land to more than two or three people or hoard it. We would put that behind us moving forward. Since the Assembly is one of the three branches of the government, we plan to cooperate with the Executive and see that everything is brought to a required conclusion.
Regarding natural resources, the Kogi lawmaker made the point that the populace would be effectively protected from adversaries who were unjustly using state resources.
Jibril continued by saying, “All this ongoing exploration, mining, and blasting in places that do not adhere to environmental rules will be stopped. We have a lot of mining difficulties, particularly where I’m from in the Ajaokuta constituency.
“We’ll check them out. In terms of housing, we must clear land so that we can construct homes beside those owned by federal officials. Politicians should have fun while doing their jobs to better the public. It should be taken with everyone.
Earlier, Aliyu Umar, the Speaker of the House, urged government ministries, parastatals, and agencies to be more proactive in their responsibilities.
