The leadership of the National Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Cooperative Society says the group has the potential to make the solid minerals sector a huge revenue generator for the Federal Government.
The association also called for the support of President Bola Tinubu towards alleviating the hardship faced by artisanal miners across the country in the course of their duties, saying they are not illegal miners.
Abdullahi Dantasidi, the national president of the society, stated in a statement he personally signed and made available to newsmen in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, a copy of which was made available to BusinessDay.
According to the group, despite being the first explorers of mineral resources in mining sites across the country, artisanal miners face several hazards in the discharge of their duties, such as health, security and environmental hazards, hence the appeal.
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“Our members are exposed to different manners of health and environmental hazards, insecurity threats among others, because of the nature of the job and the location of the mining sites, which are often in the deep forests.
“I want to Mr President to take proactive steps to ensure the safety of artisanal miners and mining sites, where they ply their trade,” Dantasidi said.
He said the lack of adequate support from previous administrations had led to huge losses with regard to revenue generation and called on President Tinubu to take a different approach to artisanal mining.
“We are artisanal miners and with your support, we can achieve a lot for the country. We have the adequate skilled manpower to make the solid minerals sector a huge revenue generator for the federal government,” he said.
