Call for end to mining

State governors in northern Nigeria have asked the federal government to suspend mining in their region because of damage to the environment, AFP reported. The 19 governors, who met on Monday in the northern town of Kaduna, called on the government to revoke licences granted for mining activities which, they say, have caused severe ecological problems. They called Monday’s meeting to arrive at a common position on a lawsuit before the Supreme Court over control of the country’s oil and gas wealth. The case, filed by the federal government against the country’s 36 states, was adjourned until May after southern states, who are demanding a share of the oil and gas revenue, challenged the court’s jurisdiction, AFP said. The Kaduna meeting argued that if the southern states could try to control the wealth in their region, the north should protect its own mineral resources, AFP said.