From: Gyang Bere, Jos

The Senator representing Plateau North and former Governor of Plateau State, Dr. Jonah David Jang, said several people in Plateau State are dying with cancer due to health hazards caused by mining ponds.

Jang stated this during an interview with journalists, in Jos, and called on the Federal Government to rehabilitate the deathly ponds to ease hardship and avoid mysterious death among the people.

“I am proposing a bill for the establishment of an agency to rehabilitate all mining ponds in Plateau and other parts of the country where mining activities has taking place because of the health implication.

“We are worried in Plateau because people are suffering with cancer because of certain activities that took place in the abandoned mining ponds around their homes.”

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He regretted that several people, particularly children are drowning in mining ponds weekly in rural communities with no effort to reclaim the deathly ponds.

Jang insisted that Federal Government should establish an Agency that will be given special fund to rehabilitate mining ponds in the country for domestic and dry season farming.

He criticised the National Assembly for removing Plateau and Kaduna State from the North East Emergency Development Agency, and described the action as sabotage of the affected states.

He said National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) should be empower with the responsibility of re-settling people displaced  from their ancestral homes and farms as a result of crisis and any natural disaster in the country.