Alake to manufacturers: Guide against illicit production, sales of explosives

Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals development, has urged manufacturers of mine explosives to work against the alleged leakages from their factories.

A statement issued by Segun Tomori, Alake’s special assistant on media, said the minister spoke on Friday during an emergency meeting with the manufacturers of mine explosives in his office in Abuja.

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

The minister said the federal government is reviewing the system for tracking the movement of explosives from the manufacturers to end users.

He urged the manufacturers to take internal actions to identify and sanction employees involved in illicit sales or production of explosives.

The meeting was attended by representatives of Solar Nigachem Limited, Intrachem Limited, and Dynatrac Limited — three licenced manufacturers of explosives.

Imam Ganiyu, director of mines inspectorate department in the ministry, said explosives manufactured in Nigeria are slurry and need detonators to explode.

Ganiyu added that although Nigeria banned the use of dynamite for mining operations in 2007, neighbouring countries such as Cameroon and Mali still use the explosives.

This, he said has created a pathway for explosives to be smuggled into Nigeria through porous borders.

Speaking on behalf of the companies, Biodun Abu, CEO of Intrachem Limited and chairperson of the Association of Commercial Explosives Dealers, said the manufacturers have complied with the regulations of the government.

Abu said the manufacturing mines had also reviewed their security surveillance by deploying close circuit television (CCTV) in their factories and coding the explosives for easy tracking of the manufacturer and the company that ordered for them.

He added that manufacturers and their clients obtain approvals for escorts to transport their goods to the end-users, noting that they are however unable to verify incidences of possible leakages when they get to the clients.

The meeting comes days after Alake charged security agencies to increase surveillance on suspicious mining activities following a blast that rocked Dejo Oyelese Street in the Bodija axis of Ibadan, Oyo state.

The minister assured that culprits would face justice.