Nigerian miners close operations to contain spread of COVID-19

Miners in Nigeria have closed operations to help contain the spread of Coronavirus to which Nigeria has lost two lives.

This came in a press statement signed by Kabiru Mohammed, the national president of Miners Association of Nigeria and Dele Ayanleke, national secretary of the association.

The Association said this closure of operations guarantees compliance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort to slow and flatten the curve of the viral pandemic’s spread. The president on Sunday gave directives that have locked down Lagos State with 81 of the country’s 135 cases, Ogun State with 4 cases and the Federal Capital Territory with 25 cases. The virus has since spread to 10 other states.

“The Association has been monitoring, with patriotic interest, the developments and all measures being taken to mitigating the effects of this monumental health challenge,” the press release said.

Mining activities take place mostly in rural communities with a lack of functional health and other basic amenities, infiltration of illegal immigrants and high level of social contacts and interactions among the mineworkers and other camp dwellers, “the Association has come to the conclusion that the state of our mining sites is not in tandem with “social distancing” as a major weapon to combat the spread of “COVID-19”.”

It is in light of the above that, the National Executive Council of Miners Association has directed members across the nation to close mining operations forthwith until Nigeria survives this global emergency.

The Association has also appealed to other non-member miners to heed this patriotic directive in the overall national interest. This directive is imperative in view of the volatility of social interactions in mining communities and the high rate of mobility of mineworkers, even across the borders.

Any window of entry offered the virus into any of a minefield may spell doom and scuttle all efforts at curbing its spread.

“While we are not unaware of the cumulative economic and operational costs of the adherence to this directive on the investments of our members and other miners, we plead that they should regard this call as our sacrificial contributions to deliver our nation, fellow citizens, ourselves and other residents from the pandemic of Coronavirus.”