Following the rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile after 69 days, the Miners Association of Nigeria has tasked the government and companies on safety standards.

Alhaji Sanni Shehu, the national chairman of the association, gave the challenge in Jos, over the weekend when he urged the government to pay more attention to workers’ safety.

“One lesson to learn from the Chile’s experience is the need for the government and companies to have excellent safety standards and give more attention to protecting workers’ safety.”

“The lives of workers, their dignity and protection should be the focus of the government and companies concerned,” he said.

Shehu cautioned against illegal mining in the country and urged miners to observe all safety guidelines so as to guard against the Chilean experience.

He noted that the large mining companies operated in line with international best practices but added that the artisanal miners operated with lower standards.

“International best practices encompass environmental consciousness, health consideration and safety issues. These three components are critical to the modern mining world.

“While we are mining, let us be conscious of the environment, consider our health and also think of our safety because it is only when you are alive that you can mine,” Shehu said.

The chairman tasked the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development to increase its oversight functions at the smaller mining sites so as to improve safety and ensure that the guidelines were adhered to.

Shehu lamented the tragic lead poisoning in Zamfara that claimed many lives.

He said that the relevant departments in the ministry did not have the required capability and capacity to monitor mining activities in the country

Shehu urged the government to increase revenue allocation to the ministry to enable it to carry out its functions effectively, for the sector to serve as a revenue generating option for the country.

He said that mining had the potential of becoming an alternative revenue generating source for the Federal Government as against over-dependence on petroleum.

Shehu decried inconsistency in government policies, appealing that mining policies be allowed to work for sometime before they were reviewed.

The chairman also appealed to the government to facilitate funding with favourable conditions for miners to enable them to acquire equipment because mining is capital intensive.

Shehu congratulated the rescued miners and the Chilean government, saying that their rescue was a ‘major breakthrough” to the mining world.