By Jude Njoku

Three years after the Zamfara Lead poisoning disaster, a non-governmental group NGO – Sustainable Research Action for Environmental Development SRADev has raised fresh concerns over the harmful effects of the disaster on the environment and lives of the people of Zamfara State.

The disaster which was documented as the most serious Lead poisoning case ever experienced,  occurred in two local government areas of Zamfara state – Anka and Bukkuyum in March 2009 apparently due to artisanal and small-scale gold mining ASGM.

Although mining has been going on since the 1940s in the areas, the matter allegedly got out of hand when the miners introduced domestic grinding machines in their respective dwellings rather than using the general processing centre.

The fresh alarm followed what the NGO called the failure of the government to protect its citizens from the menace.
In a position paper signed by SRADev’s Executive Director, Mr. Leslie Adogame, the group regretted that “the government which should protect her citizens from this menace that is detrimental to their lives and harmful to the environment, has failed to do so. Majority of children are still un-treated while many others remain exposed to Lead due to incomplete remediation by government and re-contamination”.

“The symptoms of lead on children include blindness, hearing impairment. Some of the damages are irreversible. Hearing impairment for example, is irreversible. Those children that cannot talk in places like Yalgama community are deaf for life. You have some of them very active children, some with seizure. Lead can retard the growth of the children”.

Adults are not totally immune to lead poisoning. Frequent headache, abdominal pains, kidney failure are among their symptoms,” the NGO explained.

Arising from these, the group called on the Federal government to establish a program aimed at cleaning up areas known to be contaminated with Lead and Mercury in Nigeria. SRADev also called for  immediate budgetary allocation towards the plight of children contaminated in the community through disbursing the Ecological Fund appropriately.

The group also campaigned for immediate formalization and legislation of the ASGM sector in Nigeria in view of its value and positive contribution to families, communities and the nation.

“We call on the legislative department of our government to harmonize and update the laws affecting small-scale gold mining in active consultation with the concerned stakeholders and for the executive department to come up with policies that will simplify the procedures for ASGM legalization and formalization and undertake sincere efforts to help improve work practices including the banning without exemption of the importation, sale and use of mercury.

The group further stressed the need for the development of appropriate and adequate policies and regulatory reforms, accurate data base, development of risk management plan, adoption of environmentally-friendly technologies and sustained awareness raising safe practices in all the states were ASGM is carried out.