Lack of regulation responsible for deaths in mining –Senator Natasha

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, has said that many lives are being lost in the mining sector in Nigeria due to a lack of regulations.

Natasha stated this while speaking on the bill she is sponsoring at the National Assembly to regulate mining activities in the country.

She said that gold can be a good source of income in Nigeria, if the country handled the sector efficiently.

Natasha said, “The best I can say is that lives are being lost because there are no mining regulations. Thirty miners were trapped in Niger State. The greatest loss was about some people killed at some mines. That happened because we have not set a standard for mining.

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“Miners go into holes and keep on digging for peanuts. Those communities that have gold don’t even understand the true meaning of what they have. Some of our communities are so blessed that when the rain falls, you see gold and the ground shines.

“There are losses of lives because of the activities of illegal miners and we see community clashes, too. People systematically create chaos because the communities are so blessed. All this happens because there are no regulations.

“Our money loses value against the dollar. Imagine if we have developed our gold reserves by developing international practices in gold, we will not rely on oil.”