Lagos sets agenda for safety of lives at dredging and mining sectors in the state

By Kayode Olopade 

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 the dredging location and mining sites in all nook and crannies of the state.

This charge was given on Monday by Lanre Mojola, the Director-General of the Lagos Safety Commission during in his welcome address at the one-day stakeholders meeting with the dredgers and mining sectors across the state 

Mojola maintained that security of lives and properties is very paramount, hence the law that established Lagos State Safety Commission, especially as it relates with dredging and mining sectors stipulates all hand to be on deck to ensure there is no loss of live during any dredging and mining activities in 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 the needful that lives are well protected.

He maintained that the essence of the stakeholders' meeting was not to enforce on people but to deliberate and proffer solutions to avoid unforseen occurrence on our 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 leave and behave  responsibly in our various sites", Mojola said. 

Also in his remark, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Engineer Abiola Koseegbe, 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 entire nook and crannies of Lagos State  remained imperative to  the state government.

He advised miners and dredgers to remain committed with the already established and agreed safety rules outlined by 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 under-estimated, as far as safety of dredging and mining sites is concerned",  Koseegbe said.

 The National President, Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transportation in Nigeria, ATBOWAN, Dr. Tarzan Balogun,  appealed that 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, and even also act as eyes of the agency at all  dredging and mining sites.

In his own submission, the President, Dredgers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Bature Akpomejero, emphasizes that the association is cooperating with the government, also  suggested there should be a seamless and joint committee to further harness a way of setting up a sub-committee to oversee how safety personnel could be appointed in various dredging and mining sites

Also reeling out the critical life threatening issues in the dredging and mining sectors, Engr. Festus Todowede, said multiple hazardous issues recorded due to absence of life jacket, missing fire extinguisher around fuel storage handing area as well as absence of first aid facilities.