Gold discovered in Kano

A young man who was in Kano recently wrote an interesting account after he visited Bagwai and Shanono LGAs in Kano. Rufa’i Dabo claims that these two villages are abundant of not only gold but other natural resources… the only problem is that the villagers can only excavate a little as they do not have the modern equipment to help them mine these mineral resources. He also shared pics of the villages digging and searching for gold in the rivers where they believe the gold could have been trapped. Read Rafa’I Dabo’s account of his visit below;

"Fifteen kilometres into the dense farmland, lies a deposit of gold right under our noses. Gold is mined by locals in limestone rocks and shallow ditches. Sometimes it is washed away by running water as "alluvial gold".

Locals use makeshift equipment and primitive tools to dig or trap gold from running water. Hundreds of ditches have been dug and left uncovered, posing a major environmental challenge.

The locals have done all they could for government intervention by securing a mining licence and getting investors that can give them jobs and provide the much needed infrastructure (roads, schools, etc) as corporate social responsibility. According to the locals, it is sold @ N10,000 per gram and N2,000 per 50kg of unprocessed and unrefined limestone rocks. At the moment there is no case of lead poisoning but the environment is ravaged by gullies and erosion.

It is a closely guarded secret of the locals and their only source of livelihood. Sometimes when accidents occur for example, an artisan is buried in a collapsed hole, the authorities aren't told. They are so scared they will be stopped.

The earliest feasibility study dates back to the colonial era, and another done in the 70's. This discovery has great potential for the state and the country at large especially @ times when the global price of oil and gas is dwindling.

This is a call to government officials, legislators, researchers, academicians, politicians, and investors to explore the potentials of gold mining in Kano so we can secure an alternative source of income for the state.

Besides the later, government's intervention is also needed urgently, to help the locals with tools, equipment, mining gear, gloves, boots, first aid. They also need to be taught basic safety rules in mining."