Alake Moves To Combat Illicit Sale, Manufacturing Of Explosives

Manufacturers of mine explosives have been urged to block alleged leakages from their factories by tightening the security and logistics of their operations.

This is to combat illicit sale and manufacturing of explosives.

Minister of Solid Mineral Development, Dr Oladele Alake stated this at an emergency meeting with the manufacturers in Abuja.

Alake said there is a popular outcry against the role of the manufacturers in easy access of unauthorised persons to explosives and indiscriminate storage across the country.

“The government is reviewing the system for tracking the movement of explosives from the manufacturers to end-users” he added.

The Minister urged them to look inwards and fish out workers who may be responsible for illicit sale or manufacturing of explosives.

Speaking on behalf of the manufacturers, Chairman of Association of Commercial Explosives Dealers, Biodun Abu explained that the manufacturers have complied with the regulations of government in terms of security surveillance of their operations by deploying Close Circuit Television in their factories and coding the explosives for easy tracking of the manufacturer and the company that ordered for them.

Abu said manufacturers and their clients obtain approvals for escorts to transport their goods to the end-users but are unable to verify incidences of possible leakages when it gets to the clients.

Earlier, the Director, Mines Inspectorate Department in the Ministry, Imam Ganiyu said the explosives manufactured in Nigeria are slurry and need detonators to explode.

He said although Nigeria banned the use of dynamite for mining operations in 2007, neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Mali still use the explosives, adding that such explosives may find its way illegally into Nigeria through the borders.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the three licenced manufacturers of explosives.

By Georgina Humphrey, Edited By Grace Namiji