By Joseph ERUNKE

ABUJA—The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Lead Poisoning in Zamfara State has concluded its report. The report which has some far-reaching recommendations is expected to be forwarded to President Goodluck Jonathan for urgent attention and speedy implementation in two weeks.

SWEETCRUDE gathered that the committee, which has ministers of Mines and Steel Development, Labour & Productivity, Health as well as Minister of Environment, met recently where they did not only review the situation, but deliberated on how to ameliorate the effects of lead poisoning in Zamfara State as well as strategize on how to face emerging challenges posed by the incidence.

In this direction, the committee resolved to pay another visit to Zamfara State  in the second week of July 2012, so as to take stock of the situation on ground.

In a statement made available to SWEETCRUDE in Abuja and signed by its chairman and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Mohammed Sada, the committee re-emphasized the need for all stakeholders, including the Zamfara State Government, the chairmen of local government areas as well as traditional rulers in the State to key into the efforts of the Federal Government and other agencies towards bringing a lasting solution to the menace. “The idea is to check illegal mining and inappropriate methods of mineral processing in the state”, it added.

“The meeting accepted the report of the Technical Sub-Committee on Lead Poisoning in Zamfara State and agreed to forward same to the Presidency with appropriate recommendations for urgent attention and speedy implementation”, the statement further said.

It would be recalled that an annual immunization programme in Northern Nigeria led to the discovery of a high number of child deaths in the area. An investigation showed that, they had been digging for gold at the times of their deaths, in an area where lead is prevalent.

It was initially thought by the villagers that all the children had contracted malaria, but scientific research carried out on the people, found unusually high levels of lead in the blood during tests, thus, suggesting that a contamination of water may have contributed to the high mortality rate.

It was believed in some quarters that the poisonings were caused as a result of illegal extraction of ore by villagers, who take crushed rock home with them to extract. This results in the soil being contaminated from lead which then poisons people through hand-to-mouth contamination. Others have been contaminated by contact with contaminated tools and water.

Minister of Mines and Steel Development,  Arc. Mohammed Sada, blamed the problem of lead poisoning in Nigeria on people looking for means of livelihood hence they resort to mining without proper ways of handling thereby exposing themselves and their families to lead dust.

According to him, the Federal Government had taken various initiatives which included formalizing the operations of artisanal miners, provision of extension services, water for the communities and establishment of medical unit in the hospitals for the artisanal miners towards achieving safety in mining.

The Minister further explained that “formalizing the activities of artisanal miners would afford them the opportunity of getting grants from the government which could be used to purchase mining equipments to facilitate their safe mining operations”.

Sada decried the active participation of local authorities at encouraging illegal mining, saying that, steps were being taken by the federal government to dialogue with appropriate local authorities to curtail the menace.

With the spate of illegal mining in the country, government would also establish minerals buying centre which does not required issuance of mineral title across the country”, he disclosed.