The Senate on Wednesday called for stricter safety regulations in Nigeria’s mining sector following a landslide at a coal mining site in Kogi State that claimed 20 lives.
The resolution followed a motion sponsored by the senator representing Kogi East, Isah Jibrin, during plenary.
The lawmakers also observed a minute’s silence in honour of the victims of the mining disaster.
Leading the debate, Jibrin said unsafe coal mining activities in Ankpa Local Government Area and other coal-bearing communities in Kogi had become a major safety, environmental and humanitarian concern.
He noted that coal mining remained an important economic activity in Enjema, Okaba and Ikah communities in Ankpa LGA, as well as parts of Omala and Olamaboro LGAs, which make up the Ankpa coal block in the Anambra Basin.
According to him, the geological composition of the area makes it highly susceptible to subsidence, landslides and ground failure, particularly under heavy
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