By Martha Agas

In 2024, Nigeria recorded several incidents of mine collapses, where scores of miners were trapped in pits.

Many sustained severe injuries or lost their lives, while others were fortunate to be rescued.

In the second half of the year, three major incidents were reported in Niger, Adamawa, and Plateau states.

In June, 30 miners were trapped in a collapsed mining site at Galkogo community in Shiroro, Niger state.

In November, more than 30 miners were buried in a similar incident at the Gashaka-Gumti National Park, which stretches across Adamawa and Taraba states with 22 reportedly killed.

In the same month, 13 miners were killed in a collapsed mine site in Plateau.

Analysts have largely attributed the situation to the activities of artisanal and illegal mining, where standard regulations were often ignored.

They also noted that the use of outdated equipment, lack of professionalism, and the neglect of safety measures contributed to the disaster.

The collapses were described as risks for which operators should have prepared contingencies.

Following these developments, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, stated that technical reports from field inspections indicated a lack of professional expertise in mine development among artisanal miners.

The report further revealed that illegal miners were primarily responsible for the frequent pit collapses.

Also, Dele Ayankele, the National President of the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), has revealed that illegal mining was a major threat in mining operations, even in more advanced regions.

Simply put, for the mining industry to thrive and become attractive for major players to invest in, there is an urgent need to sanitise the sector.

Experts say this can be achieved by enforcing standard practices and addressing illegal mining, which has been identified as the primary cause of the collapses.

In addition to these factors, challenges such as a lack of quality geological data and insecurity could hinder President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to revitalise the sector.

These issues may also limit its potential to contribute significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

It may be recalled that President Bola Tinubu, upon taking office, declared his commitment to revamp the sector with the aim of improving Nigeria’s economic profile.

The solid minerals minister stated that the sector is targeting to contribute 50 per cent to the nation’s GDP.

Meanwhile, the country must leverage the energy transition and its possession of critical minerals to drive sustainable development.

Stakeholders have acknowledged the minister’s efforts in marketing the sector’s potential at various local and international forums.

They, however, noted that in addition to the move, particularly offering incentives for investors, the government must also address the sector’s challenges to achieve this goal.

To tackle the issue of collapses, stakeholders have called for increased manpower in the sector’s regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with safety measures.

The Miners President emphasised the need to strengthen the manpower of regulatory bodies deployed to mining sites to ensure compliance with safety standards.

He further highlighted the importance of implementing strategic measures to address such incidents and protect both lives and assets.

He urged the government to invest more in improving the human and logistical 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, ’’he said.

According to the president, such an intervention will enable mine owners to hire the necessary professionals, and acquire equipment to ensure their operations comply with minimum operational standards, thereby avoiding disasters.

Experts have also recommended measures such as enforcing standard procedures, providing training and capacity building for miners and operators, and adopting modern technology.

Other suggestions include improving emergency preparedness and conducting environmental impact assessments.

Earlier in the year, the Minister of Solid Minerals announced a policy requiring mandatory remedial measures for mining pits as part of the criteria for applying for mining licenses.

The move aimed at minimising incidents such as the collapse of the mining site in Niger.

While responding to the pit collapse in Gashaka-Gumti National Park, Alake also urged relevant local authorities nationwide to increase surveillance in order to monitor and curb illegal mining activities within their jurisdiction.

“To forestall a recurrence, local government authorities should pay more attention to illegal mining activities within their areas,” he said.

He said that the local authorities should work with the state offices of the ministry, to ensure they aligned with the early warning systems put in place to combat illegal mining.

The minister also urged more collaboration between stakeholders in the solid minerals sector to address the menace and curb incidents of mine collapses.

He urged miners to stop endangering their lives through illegal mining and instead form cooperatives to gain legal status.

He added that after establishing the cooperatives, they should approach the ministry for assistance in obtaining mining licenses and permits to operate legally.

While technical inputs have been recommended to address the menace, economic analysts have expressed fear that mining sites will continue to pose a danger due to the high poverty rate in Nigeria.

Currently, it is estimated at 38.9 per cent in 2023.

They noted that massive crowd often gather in mining areas to take up menial jobs, disregarding the threat to their safety due to their financial difficulties.

According to a report, mining communities are experiencing a rise in out of school children due to their pursuit of quick cash through mineral exploration and other activities within the value chain.

This situation highlights the urgent need for the government to address the country’s economic quagmire to improve the standard of living for its people.

While mining stakeholders commend the Tinubu administration’s efforts to secure mining sites through the establishment of Mining Marshals, they anticipate further progress in 2025.

Among their expectations is a huge reduction in environmental and human hazards, which would foster the sector’s development.

These improvements, they believe, will support the success of the administration’s reform policies, contributing to long-term growth and sustainability in the mining sector.

Ultimately, they aim to prevent mine pit collapses. (NANFeatures)

**If used, please credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria.