By Takudzwa Mashumba
Recently many articles were published world over about more than 15 million of Nigerian children being victims of hazardous child labour and now again reports have emerged that thousands of Nigerian children working in mines suffer lead poisoning thus making it No safe place for children.
An International aid agency in Nigeria in an interview with Al Jazeera reported that thousands of Nigerian children are dying every year due to lead poisoning in mines and has alleged that the number of those currently affected is quite larger than reported.
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"We want the whole world to know that the lead poisoning problem in Nigeria is bigger than thought and reported and we are currently some of the affected children and we appeal for the International body that protects children right to stand their authority and save the lives of these innocent souls," warned the aid agency.
The recent Nigerian gold rush is the mother source of all these problems with a rampant increase of child labour cases in mines and unless immediate response and action is taken to curb hazardous child labour, Nigeria is kissing goodbye to its future generation which it is currently destroying.
A draft policy was endorsed recently to address these challenges facing millions of Nigerian children but what lacks now is enforcement. Child labour undermines national development and provides a reservoir of children for easy recruitment into evil, violent and terrorist acts.
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This is not the first time thousands of children have been lead poisoned in mines, in 2009 thousands of children died in the northern state of Zamfara with some facing long term and serious medical conditions such as paralysis, deafness and brain.
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