The Lagos State Safety Commission has urged Sand Miners and Dredgers in the State to be mindful of the importance of their lives while at dredging locations and mining sites in all nooks and crannies of the state.
The Director-General of the Commission, Lanre Mojola gave the advice on Monday in his welcome address delivered at a one-day meeting with stakeholders in the sector.
Mojola maintained that the security of lives and properties is very paramount. Hence, the law that established the Lagos State Safety Commission, especially as it relates to dredging and mining sectors, stipulates that all hands must be on deck to ensure there is no loss of life during any dredging and mining activities in any part of the State.
He said that organisations, communities and individuals around the world must be encouraged to give attention to the pressing issues affecting lives. Hence, we need to do the needful that lives are well protected.
The DG averred that the essence of the stakeholders’ meeting was not to force anything on people but to deliberate together and proffer solutions to avoid unforeseen occurrences on dredging and mining sites.
“As we all can see, some have been injured, while others have been so unfortunate to have gone to the great beyond through compromising attitudes of some of our dredgers and miners at our various sites, hence why we are all here to deliberate and chart a new course for ourselves on how to live and behave responsibly in our various sites”, Mojola said.
Also in his remark, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Engineer Abiola Kosegbe, who was represented by Mr. Shomilewo Okikiola, reiterated that ensuring a safe, resilient and sustainable Lagos, through the protection of lives and properties in dredging and mining sites in the entire nooks and crannies of Lagos State remained imperative to the state government.
She advised miners and dredgers to remain committed to the already established and agreed safety rules outlined by the Lagos State Safety Commission and other sister agencies.
“There is no doubt Lagos State Safety Commission has put in place guidelines for all dredgers and miners bearing in mind that safety measures can’t be overlooked and its importance can’t be underestimated, as far as the safety of dredging and mining sites are concerned”, Kosegbe said.
The National President, Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transportation in Nigeria (ATBOWAN), Dr. Tarzan Balogun appealed that the Lagos State Safety Commission should provide a standby safety boat for dredgers and miners to act as checks and balances to their operations at sites as well as act as eyes of the agency at all dredging and mining sites.
In his submission, the President, Dredgers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Bature Akpomejero emphasised that the association is cooperating with the government while suggesting that there should be a seamless and joint committee to ensure the setting up a sub-committee to oversee how safety personnel could be appointed in various dredging and mining sites
Reeling out the critical life-threatening issues in the dredging and mining sectors, Engr. Festus Todowede, a Director with the Lagos State Safety Commission, said multiple hazardous issues were recorded due to the absence of a life jacket, a missing fire extinguisher around the fuel storage handling area, and the absence of first aid facilities.
