By Martha Agas
The Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) has urged Nigerian youths to thoroughly investigate offers of foreign jobs before leaving the country.
The National President of MAN, Mr Dele Ayankele, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
This is following the repatriation of 11 stranded Nigerian miners from the Central African Republic (CAR).
NAN reports that the Federal Government facilitated the return of the miners, who arrived Abuja on Aug. 14 after publicly appealing for help through a viral video that detailed their ordeal.
The miners were allegedly lured to CAR by a Nigerian agent in collaboration with a Chinese national.
They claimed that they were taken to Sénye in the Bambari region about ten months ago, but were abandoned without pay for six months.
The MAN President urged Nigerian youths seeking opportunities outside the country to look before they leap.
“We have cases of people drowning in Libya trying to cross the sea to European countries, all these are full of hazards,’’ he said.
Ayankele said that Nigeria had a lot of mineral resources that should encourage youths to remain in the country to find legitimate means of exploiting these minerals for their economic development.
According to him, there are many mining sites in Nigeria that need more human resources to harness their potential.
“We have been advising our youths to please take things easy.
“Nigeria has a lot of potential for them, and they should stay here and see how we can exploit this thing for their own benefit and for the nation’s benefit as well.
“Anybody can say he wants to employ somebody, but before you take up any employment, you must weigh the options available,” he said.
