Causes of Fatal Mining Accidents on the Plateau

Illustration of mine collapse

Plateau State, Nigeria, is endowed with a variety of mineral resources, notably tin and columbite. Historically, the exploitation of these minerals attracted both local and international interests, shaping the cosmopolitan character of Jos, the state capital.

However, from the late 1970s, mining activities declined significantly due to a collapse in the global prices of tin and columbite, which were then the principal commercial minerals of value. In recent years, global advancements in science and technology have renewed demand for these minerals, alongside others that were previously discarded due to limited industrial application. This resurgence has reactivated artisanal and small-scale mining across Plateau State, providing a critical source of livelihood for large numbers of unemployed youths.

In much of the state, particularly in the northern zones, mineral deposits remain widely dispersed. Women, who often lack the capacity to sink shafts, typically engage in surface-level mining along water channels, where mineral concentrates settle after rainfall. Artisanal miners, in contrast, commonly dig shafts that extend between 50 and 70 feet in depth to access richer deposits, relying on rudimentary tools such as shovels, diggers, and improvised pulley systems.

Despite the economic opportunities mining presents, it is accompanied by severe occupational hazards. Fatal accidents are recurrent, often involving individuals motivated by poverty to supplement their income. For instance, reports indicate that even professionals, such as a primary school head teacher in December 2024, have lost their lives in mining pits while attempting to earn additional income for their families. Similarly, women and children have also been victims, highlighting the vulnerability of economically disadvantaged groups.

Several factors contribute to mining-related fatalities on the Plateau:

1. Mine collapses. After reaching the mineral “floor,” miners typically dig horizontal tunnels that may extend up to one hundred feet. The intervening walls are expected to serve as pillars to prevent collapse. However, when these pillars are weakened by excessive excavation—whether by miners seeking additional ore or children scavenging nearby—the structural integrity of the mine is compromised, leading to collapses that often trap or kill those underground.
2. Water inundation. Abandoned mines frequently accumulate water under high pressure. When active tunnels breach these water-filled shafts, sudden flooding occurs, overwhelming miners with little or no chance of escape due to the depth of the shafts and the ensuing confusion. Survival in such cases is minimal, as visibility and mobility underground are severely restricted.
3. Mechanical failures. Accidents also result from equipment malfunctions, particularly the snapping of steel cables used to lower or raise buckets of ore. Buckets carrying heavy loads may fall back into the pit, crushing miners, while cable failures during descent frequently cause severe injuries or fatalities.

The recovery of victims varies depending on the cause of the accident. Where flooding is involved, bodies can often be retrieved after pumping out water. In contrast, collapses that bury victims make recovery exceedingly difficult without the use of excavators, which require significant financial resources. In such circumstances, families often resort to conducting funeral rites at the site without retrieving the body.

Despite the high incidence of accidents, artisanal mining persists as an economic necessity. Temporary halts in mining following fatalities are typically symbolic gestures of respect rather than reconsiderations of the risks involved. Mining, in many cases, has served as a pathway out of poverty. For instance, women have been reported to earn as much as ₦130,000 within two days, while daring young men occasionally secure windfalls amounting to millions of naira. Consequently, a common refrain among Plateau residents underscores the indispensability of mining: “What would have become of us if there were no minerals in Plateau State

President Tinubu Could Simply Be Taking His Revenge

President Tinubu. Source:Daily Mail 

It is surprising how Nigerians easily forget fthe past. Nigerians have all forgotten how President Tinubu was taunted, jeered and goaded while he campaigned to become the President. It was so severe he came out to say he doesn’t log into social media anymore.  Nigerians told him that he:

1.     Said, “balablu bulaba.”

2.     Was sick.

3.     Said, “God bless PD-APC.”

4.     Often staggered back and forth during campaigns.

5. He slept in the house of a northern emir, where he had gone to seek political support.

There are so many things that were said to frustrate his ambition of becoming the President. But it has been said that Mr President is not one who forgets easily. Thus he is simply taking his revenge.

There was another disparaging post I saw on Facebook. It was obviously from a Yoruba man. I was shocked that, contrary to our tradition of supporting one who comes from our tribe, a Yoruba man posted to say that, on a trip from Abuja to Minna via Mr President’s private jet, Tinubu had to visit the comfort room of the plane eighteen times in the less than thirty minutes journey from Abuja to Minna.

It takes a miracle for someone who has been subjected to these kinds of humiliations not to take his revenge when he gets the chance. However, Mr President should know that not everyone said things to humiliate him. The day he launched his campaign, there were so many people in his team, people who had been with him in good and bad times. They will also be affected.

If it is true that he is actually taking his revenge, he should remember he has got relations in the village who are experiencing this excruciating economic trauma and that what is happening will change the country in such a way that we may never recover.

If it gets too far, the powers supporting him can withdraw that support –there is the National Assembly and the cabal, whose mention sounds like a conspiracy theory at any time. They are human beings and have feelings. They could feel that enough is enough.  

It feels strange that the wealthiest nation in Africa has transformed into a nation where many now beg for food.