The Nasarawa State House of Assembly on Monday passed into law a bill to regulate and control the issuance of land consent to mining companies operating in the state.
The law when assented to by the governor, aims to address rising cases of illegal mining in the state.
The law when becomes enforceable, would mandate mining companies operating in the atate to contribute 5 percent of their annual revenue the host community for community development and then 50% would be be channelled towards project financing.
The law further stipulates that in the event of reneged on the Community Development Agreements (CDA), the legal framework advocates N10m as fine or a maximum of five years imprisonment for corporate entities and a fine of N5m or a maximum of five years imprisonment for individual or group of individuals respectively.
Shedding more light on the law with newsmen after the passage of the bill, the sponsor, Daniel Ogazi hinted that any traditional ruler who circumvented the law must be prosecuted no matter how highly placed he is in State when law becomes operational.
