The Vice President-elect of the Nigerian Union of Mines Workers (NUMW), Comrade Onyah Kelvin Chimbuzor has congratulated the president-elect and other members of the newly elected National Executives Council of the Union, assuring that the team will justify the confidence reposed in it by over one million mine workers in the country.
Chimbuzor who gave the assurance in a statement on Friday in Abuja thanked his compatriots, family and well-wishers for the support given to him and members of the team. He said the support did much to sail the team to victory.
Chimbuzor, who began by giving all the glory to God, stated, “I want to return all honour, praise and adoration to Almighty God for His infinite mercy, grace and favour upon my life,” and recalled that through the grace of God, he rose “from a Caterpillar Operator to Anambra State Chairman of NUMW, and now to National Vice President.”
“I sincerely appreciate the entire leadership and members of the Nigeria Union of Mine Workers and my beloved family, the Heavy Equipment Operators Section (HEOPS), for your immense support, prayers, love, mobilisation and solidarity that saw me through to emerge as Vice President,” he said.
“This victory is not for me alone; it is for all of us. HEOPS, you stood by me, you believed in me, and you proved that we are indeed one family. I will never take this for granted.”
The newly elected vice president promised to justify the confidence reposed in the newly elected executive council, stating that he will work diligently with the national president and the national administrative council to defend the welfare of members and take our great union to greater heights.
Chimbuzor called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, to give needed funding support to mine workers toward enabling them to get safety kits, among other items that will safeguard their lives while at work.
While stating that insecurity has become a major challenge in several mining sites, the federal government made efforts to end illegal mining and encouraged President Bola Tinubu to extend the mandate of the NSCDC Mines Marshall to securing mine sites in the country.
He stated, “NSCDC Mine Marshalls have a mandate to combat illegal mining; the NUMW encourages President Bola Tinubu and Minister Dele Alake to extend the mandate to include securing the mine site.”
He said the welfare of mine workers is an area that we will not toy with, he said, and assured that the government will do well to enact policies that will safeguard the dignity of miners in the workplace.
Chimbuzor said the Federal and State Governments must work together to support miners and mine workers toward ensuring that the sector improves. “When this is achieved, we will be able to compete favourably mine workers in other countries who have had the support of their home governments,” he added.
We will make the NUMW stronger across the country, and we will aim toward the unity of mine workers across the continent of Africa, he said.
As a team, the Exco will pursue payment of full compensation for workers who sustained life-threatening injuries in the workplace, and we will unionize to ensure that we pursue our goals as a united team, he said.
The union leader called, who was Chairman of Anambra State chapter of the NUMW before he was elevated by election to the position of National Vice President of the NUMW underscored the importance of having a united front while pursuing set goals, stating that members of the union should consider themselves as one family. “An injury to one member of the union is an injury to all of us,” he stated.
While emphasising the need to pursue safety of mine workers, he said employees will be duly informed of their respinsibility to the mine worker, stating that the EXCO will be proactive and firm and will not allow any body or entity to undermine its protective role in the sector.
