By:Thenationonlineng

The Senate at the weekend promised to ensure that the nation’s mining sector is free of illegal and detrimental activities which deny the Federal Government legitimate revenue that runs into billions of naira.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Sampson Ekong, expressed the commitment of the Red Chamber to fostering a safe and profitable mining sector when he led other members of the committee on a visit to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago at the weekend in Minna, the Niger State capital.

The visit was in continuation of the committee’s investigation into a collapsed mining pit in the state which led to the death of about 30 persons and how to stop future occurrences.

Other committee members who accompanied Ekong on the visit included Senators Diket Plang, Amos Yohanna, Professor Anthony Ani, Okechukwu Ezea, and Sani Musa (who moved the motion on the mining pit collapse) as well as the committee’s Clerk, Mr. Paul Kapnam.

Ekong regretted that the activities of unauthorised miners had continued to hinder Federal and state governments from realising the benefits of the projected multi billion dollars minerals sector in the country.