The Senate on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to establish a compensation scheme for mining workers following the July 14 landslide at a coal mining site in Kogi State that claimed the lives of 20 miners.
The upper chamber also called for stricter regulation of mining activities nationwide, compulsory occupational accident insurance for miners and the creation of a rehabilitation and victims’ support fund to assist injured workers and families of those killed in mining accidents.
The resolutions followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Jibrin Isah under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Rules during plenary in Abuja.
Presenting the motion, Isah said unsafe coal mining activities in Ankpa Local Government Area and other coal-bearing communities in Kogi posed increasing safety, environmental and humanitarian risks.
He said coal mining remained a major economic activity in Enjema, Okaba and Ikah communities in Ankpa LGA, as well as parts of Omala and Olamaboro LGAs, which form part of the Ankpa coal block in the Anambra Basin.
According to him, the area’s geological composition, including laterite, loose sandstone, mudstone, clay, shale and unconsolidated sediments, makes mining sites highly vulnerable to subsidence, landslides and ground failure.
Isah recalled that a major landslide occurred on July 14 at Alufele in Enjema District, trapping artisanal and small-scale miners underground, while several trucks reportedly sank into mining pits during loading operations. He said the disaster claimed the lives of 20 workers and left several others injured.
The lawmaker blamed the recurring accidents on unsafe mining practices, particularly the widespread use of the room-and-pillar mining method without adequate structural reinforcement.
He also expressed concern that many miners worked without written employment contracts, health insurance, life insurance or occupational hazard cover, leaving victims and their families without compensation after accidents.
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Seconding the motion, Senator Mohammed Monguno said fatal mining accidents had become a recurring problem across mining communities in Nigeria.
“The issue of mining site collapse has become a recurring problem leading to deaths, injuries and other serious consequences for miners in communities across the country,” he said.
“The only panacea to this ugly scenario is to come up with laws and regulations guiding mining practice in Nigeria.”
As part of its resolutions, the Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, particularly its Department of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, to conduct a nationwide audit of licensed miners to strengthen monitoring and regulation.
It also called on the Federal Government to establish a mining workers’ compensation scheme funded through mandatory contributions from licensed mining operators to cover occupational injuries, permanent disabilities, occupational diseases and deaths arising from mining activities.
The Senate directed its Committee on Solid Minerals Development to draft legislation establishing the compensation scheme.
It further urged the National Insurance Commission in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, to develop compulsory occupational accident insurance for all categories of miners, including artisanal and small-scale miners operating under recognised mining cooperatives or community mining arrangements.
The Senate also called for the establishment of a mining rehabilitation and victims’ support fund to provide emergency medical treatment, rehabilitation, compensation and educational support for the children of deceased miners, as well as assistance to affected families.
It mandated its Committees on Solid Minerals Development, Environment, Labour, Employment and Productivity, and Health to engage relevant ministries, departments and agencies and report back within six weeks. The Senate concluded by observing a minute’s silence in honour of the victims of the July 14 landslide.
NAN
