By Francis Nansak, Lafia
An appeal has gone to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the need to support in alleviating the hardship being faced by artisanal miners in the course of discharging their duties.
National President of the National Artisanal and Small Scale Mining Cooperative Society, Alhaji Abdullahi Dantasidi made the appeal in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Nasarawa, on Tuesday.
He noted that despite being the the first explorers of mineral resources in mining sites across the country, artisanal miners are faced with several hazards.
He highlighted such challenges encountered in the discharge of their duties to include health, security and environmental hazards.
“Our members are exposed to all manners of health and environmental hazards, insecurity threats among others because of the nature of the job and the location of the mining sites which are often in the deep forests.
“I therefore appeal to you, Mr President, to take proactive action over the health, safety of artisanal miners and the environmental situations in mining sites where they ply their trade by providing them with safety kits and adequate security,” he said.
He added that lack of adequate support from previous administrations led to huge losses in income generation, adequate skilled manpower among others.
He then called on President Tinubu to embrace a different approach in relating with artisanal miners.
“We are not illegal miners. We are artisanal miners, and with your support, we can achieve a lot for the country. We have the adequate skilled manpower to make the solid minerals sector a huge revenue generator for the Federal government,” he said.
In addition, Dantasidi urged the Federal Government to set up fair and proper marketplace parameters for artisanal miners to sell their products at appropriate prices without being cheated by potential buyers, some of whom he said are foreigners.
He congratulates the new Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, on his appointment and pledged to work closely with him to achieve the administration’s goals in the mining sector.
“I also urge the Honourable Minister to create avenues for both government officials, critical stakeholders to interface with artisanal miners on issues and challenges they face while carrying out their duties,” he said.
The miner added that improved synergy between government and artisanal miners will go a long way in boosting the output of the sector and open doors of prosperity and fruitful engagement for both parties.
“This will not only be beneficial to all stakeholders in the sector but also lay a solid foundation for the younger generation who may indicate interest in the mining sector,” Alhaji Dantasidi added.