The Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) says there is a need to beef up manpower for regulatory bodies deployed to mining sites to ensure compliance with safety standards.
The National President of the association, Mr Dele Ayanleke, made the call in an interview on Saturday in Abuja, in reaction to a collapsed mining site in Niger.
A mining site in Galadima-Kogo village of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger, operated by African Minerals and Logistics Ltd, collapsed on Monday, killing one person and trapping several others.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, announced on Tuesday that seven persons had been rescued so far from the collapsed pit.
The MAN national president urged the government to invest more in improving the human and logistic capacities of the regulatory bodies.
“We counsel mine owners to adhere to the principles of mining best practices in their operations and avoid the temptation to hurriedly get to the levels of the ores without observing minimum operational standards and procedures.
“It is also imperative for the Federal Government to listen to our passionate appeals on the need to invest more to improve the human and logistic capacities of the regulatory bodies.
“In a situation where you have one federal mines officer in a state like Niger which is equal in size to about five others, with almost zero facilities and field staff for site inspection that would have nipped impending disasters in the bud, what do we expect?
“It is also important that Nigeria small scale mining lease holders need affordable and purposely structured funding interventions to upscale their games.”
According to the president, with the magnitude of the operations in the affected mine site, such an intervention will have enabled the mine owner to hire the necessary professional hands.
He added that the funding intervention would help miners acquire equipment to make their operations compliant with minimum operational standards to avoid disasters.
Ayanleke described mine collapse as one of the major risks in the mining fields even in advanced mining jurisdictions.
He, however, said that strategic measures could be put in place to stem the tide of such occurrences to safeguard lives and assets.
He commiserated with the families of the victims of the disaster, the Government and the people of Niger state.
“May the Lord grant repose to the souls of the departed; heal the wounded and help rescue those who might still be trapped.
“We also sympathise with our colleague, the mine owner, for the collateral human and material losses arising from the unfortunate incident,” he said.
The minister of solid minerals development visited some of the victims rescued from the pit on Friday in Niger.
He said that insurance policies for miners would be enforced across the country to ensure their safety and facilitate prompt relief for them and their families in similar incidents.
The minister also emphasised the Federal Government’s stance–that remediation plans must accompany mining license applications.
He said that irresponsible mining operations posing threats to the environment and communities would no longer be tolerated.
NAN
