By Martha Agas
The Nigeria Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) says licence holders should be held accountable for incidents at their mining sites.
The NMGS President, Ms Rose Ndong, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja following the death of more than 30 miners in Plateau.
NAN recalls that at least 37 miners died and 25 were hospitalised recently at a mining site in Kampani Zurak, Wase Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau.
The victims were exposed to gaseous emissions while allegedly mining at an underground mining site.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, had directed the closure of the site area covered by Mining Licence 11810, operated by Solid Unit Nigeria Limited, to contain the situation and investigate.
Ndong said licence holders must be fully responsible for activities on their sites, including enforcing all safety measures.
“Government should hold licence holders accountable for their areas. If anything happens on their land, they are the first point of contact.
“If trespassers are on your site but it hasn’t been reported, it means you are complicit,” she said.
Nonetheless, Ndong said she was aware that scavenging often occurred at mining sites, where many people enter abandoned or active mines in search of valuable minerals to earn a living.
She added that if licence holders allow artisanal miners to operate within their concessions under an arrangement, they should provide guidance, safety measures and basic equipment to ensure mining activities are carried out safely.
Ndong expressed concern that deaths caused by gaseous emissions at mining sites still occur in spite of increased campaigns on promoting safe and sustainable mining practices especially following past incidents such as the Zamfara lead poisoning crisis.
According to her, when a mine has been abandoned for some time and people later return to it, gases can accumulate underground.
Entering such spaces, she said, without proper assessment or ventilation was usually extremely dangerous, adding that mine licence holders should also ensure environmental reclamation at the end of their operations.
“In the past, mining regulations did not strongly require land reclamation. As a result, many abandoned mine pits today have turned into erosion sites or hazardous water bodies.
“That is why newer policies now emphasise environmental reclamation after mining activities.
“We must also involve community leaders in addressing these issues because they often grant access to mining sites within their communities.
“Both licence holders and community leaders therefore have a role in ensuring that mining is conducted safely and responsibly.
“Public awareness and sensitisation are also critical which organisations such as Women in Mining are doing excellent work at the community level because they interact directly with people involved in artisanal mining,” Ndong said.
She stressed that stronger accountability, stricter enforcement and sustained public education were critical to preventing tragedies such as the Wase incident. (NAN)(www.nannew.ng)
Edited by Yakubu Uba
