Worried by the increasing risks and hazard associated with fieldworks in Nigeria, experts on the field of geosciences and mining gathered at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) to discuss safety codes that will make fieldtrips pleasurable for students and researchers.
The two-day event was said to have been sponsored by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Abubakar Bawa Bwari praised the organisers of the conference for the initiative, stating that safety of researchers and officers on the field was top priority of the ministry.
The minister, who spoke through his representative, Emmanuel Ehlebi, warned that illegal miners faced a higher risk on the field than other field workers because of lack of training on safety precautions.
He said: “We understand there are safety challenges associated with the field work; that is why the government has continued to encourage and support the formalisation of artisanal miners into cooperatives through which proper training are put in place to reduce mishaps in the minefields as contained in the existing laws in our roadmap.”
Bwari told the Geology departments of all universities to include safety and health guidelines for fieldwork in their curriculum. He said that the ministry had been encouraging introduction of courses on safety and precautions in the curriculum of the Institute of Mining and Geosciences in Jos, Plateau State.
The minister called for the review of the national guidelines for safety and health, which, he said did not adequately address the peculiarity of fieldwork accident.
Prof Silas Dada, president of Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, noted that the development of fieldwork safety codes for geoscientists and geotourists should be considered important than the formation of general safety and health guidelines.
Such a code, Prof Dada said, should be comprehensive to include appropriate behaviour and conduct of geoscientists during fieldwork, roles of the community and governments at all levels, including relevant bill by the legislature.
He added that the code should emphasise hands-on training of geoscience researchers undertaking fieldworks. The training according to him should focus on the right attitudes which prevent conflicts, respect local customs and beliefs and prioritise consultation and permission from land owners.
The UNN Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Benjamin Ozumba, described the conference as “timely engagement”, saying it would proffer solutions to the security risks faced by geoscientists as a result of terrorism, kidnapping and militancy.
Prof Ozumba, who spoke through the Deputy VC for Academics, Prof James Ogbonna, said that the risks were fuelled by the absence of codes for conduct of fieldwork by Geosciences departments across varsities and inadequate funding of monitoring institutions.
Highpoint was the presentation of a book titled: A code for Geoscientific fieldwork in Africa: Guidelines on health and safety issues in mapping, mineral exploration, geoecological research and geotourism. The book was written by Prof Theophilus Davis, a renowned geologist.
