MINING TRAGEDY ON THE PLATEAU

Government should ensure safety protocols are adhered to

The federal government has commenced investigation into the tragedy in Zurak, a community in Wase local government area of Plateau State where 37 miners died of suspected carbon monoxide and sulphite gas emissions. But Nigerians demand accountability. Toxic gas is believed to have built-up underground in apparently poorly ventilated tunnels, causing the workers to collapse just before the end of their night shift. The bodies of the victims were discovered by workers the following morning. They also rescued about 20 survivors who were rushed to a hospital for treatment. The victims, all able-bodied men in their prime, were buried shortly after, a tragedy that has again heightened renewed concerns over safety standards in the country’s mining sector. 

While we commiserate with families of the victims, the Zurak tragedy is particularly painful because it could have been avoided. As minister of Solid Minerals, Kayode Fayemi visited the Zurak mines operated by Solid Unit Nigeria Limited, alongside then National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno in 2017 following numerous complaints from the community. Thereafter, Fayemi ordered the immediate closure of the mining site, and the arrest of illegal Chinese operators, including Alhaji Dan China, the purported owner of the mine. But not for long. Dan China soon regained his freedom and went back to the dormant mines where accumulated minerals had released lethal fumes shortly after Fayemi left office as minister. 

Despite the dangers inherent in illegal mining, the business is booming because it brings food to the table of many. In the past year alone, so many mining pits had collapsed, trapping and killing hundreds of people, who were driven mainly by hunger and poverty. We should be concerned that mining disasters are widespread, particularly in the north of the country, essentially due to lack of government oversight and basic safety tools. Even though mining activities on the Plateau have declined considerably, the region is still active, particularly with unlicensed artisanal mining of tin, shadowed by a cycle of mining disasters.  

In June last year, a mining pit in Galkogo Community, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, collapsed, burying dozens of people whose bodies were never recovered. But the epicentre of the tragedy is Zamfara State – where repeated scenes of funeral due to illegal mining activities have not persuaded the workers to give up the dangerous business. Dubbed the headquarters of illegal mining in the country, Zamfara holds numerous armed gangs who control gold fields and other minerals, fuelling violence and deadly accidents. Indeed, an added concern is often the nexus between unregulated mining, banditry and other criminal activities, such as kidnappings for ransom and community unrest. According to a government source, there are about 20,000 illegal miners from within and outside of the country who have taken over the mining sites in the state. 

 Beyond the issue of the cost of indiscriminate digging to the environment, the country is losing money to the tunes of billions on an annual basis. Some of the illicit revenues from the business reportedly rival state budgets. The House of Representatives ad hoc committee on illegal mining recently estimated the money lost to unregulated mining operations at $9 billion yearly. But while artisanal mining makes a huge percentage of all mining activities, the sector is not properly defined, despite the efforts of the current government to standardise the procedure and terms of artisanal mining. 

There is bound to be more problems in the sector, particularly in Zamfara as the federal government, last week, lifted the ban imposed on mining since 2019 at the height of insecurity in the state amid illegal mining activities. Beyond the new operational guidelines that have been issued, there is need for government to underline safety standards to prevent future and avoidable tragedies.