The Vice President-elect of the Nigeria Union of Mine Workers (NUMW), Comrade Onyah Kelvin Chibuzor, has called on the Federal Government to provide funding for mine workers’ safety equipment and extend the mandate of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Mines Marshals to include securing mining sites against attacks.
Chibuzor said the measures were necessary to protect workers amid growing security challenges at mining locations and improve working conditions across the sector.
In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, he urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, to support mine workers with safety kits and other protective equipment.
He also commended the Federal Government’s efforts to combat illegal mining but called for an expansion of the NSCDC Mines Marshals’ responsibilities.
“NSCDC Mine Marshals have 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 NUMW vice president-elect said workers’ welfare would be a major priority of the incoming national executive, pledging to pursue full compensation for workers who sustain life-threatening injuries in the course of their duties.
He said the incoming executive would work with the National President and the National Administrative Council to protect members’ interests and strengthen the union’s capacity to represent mine workers across the country.
Chibuzor also called for cooperation between the Federal and state governments to improve conditions in the mining industry, arguing that greater government support would help Nigerian mine workers compete with their counterparts in other countries.
He said the incoming executive would press for policies that safeguard workers’ dignity and ensure that employers fulfill their responsibilities towards employees’ safety and welfare.
According to him, the union would remain proactive and firm in protecting workers and would not allow any individual or organisation to undermine its responsibilities.
Chibuzor congratulated the president-elect and other members of the newly elected National Executive Council, expressing confidence that the team would justify the trust placed in it by union members.
He also thanked his colleagues, family, and well-wishers for their support during the election, particularly members of the Heavy Equipment Operators Section (HEOPS).
Reflecting on his career, he said he was grateful to God for his progression from a caterpillar operator to Anambra State chairman of the union and now national vice president-elect.
“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.
He described his election as a collective victory, pledging to work with other members of the incoming executive to strengthen the union and promote unity among mine workers.
“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,” he said.
The former Anambra State chairman stressed the importance of solidarity in pursuing the union’s objectives, saying members should regard themselves as one family.
“An injury to one member of the union is an injury to all of us,” he said.
Chibuzor also expressed the ambition of building a stronger NUMW nationwide and promoting greater unity among mine workers across Africa.
