As miners urged to go for regular checks, test

By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

One of the aides to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Sunny Ekozin, Monday, disclosed that the Minster is making sure mining activities in the mining sector are safe from the raging Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic.

Ekozin made this known while answering questions on the situation of miners following the COVID-19 outbreak at a ‘One-Day Stakeholders’ Meeting on Nigerian Mineral Value Chain Regulation 2020’ in Abuja.

He also added that when the downstream sector regulation is finally out such disease outbreaks will be addressed to protect the health of miners and as well as safer mining operations.

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He said: “All that the Minister can do now is to make sure activities in the sector are safe and the regulation is also addressing issues of safety in the mining sector.”

Meanwhile, a Professor of Geology from the Institute of Earth Sciences, Nasarawa State University, Prof Charles Ofoegbu, said miners ought to observe and strictly adhere to rules of hygiene to prevent any infection by the virus.

“It is a general concern all over the world. Mining is a business that involves human beings because at the level mining in Nigeria now is rudimentary and rural-based, and once the government puts a check on the importation of the virus into the mining fields then saver for all of us.

“Many miners in Nigeria don’t go overseas but they do business with foreigners that are why we need to do checks and tests in their sites.”

Ofoegbu also stated that corporate organizations are doing their part to keep their workers from not contacting the virus including the Cooperative Section of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to educate artisanal miners.

“Every company has a guideline for the virus even the mining cooperative section of the Ministry is doing its bit they ensure they educate artisanal miners”, he said.

He also stressed that miners do not have any choice but to take advice and keep safe.

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“They have to listen to the advice they have been given, keep a safe distance, and report whenever they feel a sense of discomfort so that they will be picked up in time and treated, and they are to realize that you have to be alive to keep making the money”, he added.

However, he (Ofoegbu) noted that the Nigerian economy is also affected negatively by the outbreak of the virus as world economies are on the edge.

“Nigeria’s economy is already affected as others across the world. Once you order people to stay at home naturally productivity declines when productivity declines income declines, then the potential goals of every country will be affected”, he stated.

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