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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has identified illegal mining and money laundering as major drivers of insecurity in the country.
The chairman, House Ad Hoc Committee on Mineral Exploitation, Security and Anti-Money Laundering, Sanni Abdulraheem, stated this, on Monday at a Stakeholders Workshop on Extractive Industry Governance.
Abdulraheem noted that though the country is endowed with abundant deposits of gold, lithium, tin, coal, tantalite and other valuable minerals, these resources has not translate to broad-based economic prosperity because of illegal activities in the sector.
Consequently, he stated that the Green chamber constituted the panel to investigate illegal mineral exploitation across the country, trace illicit financial flows from the sector, assess the effectiveness of security around mining communities and recommend reforms to strengthen governance of Nigeria’s extractive industry.
According to him, “Nigeria is blessed. Few nations on earth carry the range and richness of mineral deposits that lie across our states, gold, lithium, tin, coal, tantalite, and many more. On paper, these resources should be transforming livelihoods, funding schools and hospitals, and strengthening our national economy. Yet, for too long, a troubling gap has persisted between the wealth in our ground and the prosperity in our communities.
“That gap has a name: illegal mining, weak enforcement, and the laundering of proceeds that should belong to the Nigerian people. It is a gap filled instead by criminal networks, by revenue leakages we can no longer afford to ignore, and by security threats that have, in some of our communities, turned mineral-rich land into contested and dangerous territory.”
The lawmaker, who stated that his panel has been engaging with relevant agencies, said the committee’s findings indicate that the challenge of illegal mining was too complex for any single institution to tackle in isolation.
“What has become clear to us is this: no single agency, no single arm of government, and certainly no single committee of this House can resolve this crisis alone. The illegal mining challenge sits at the intersection of law, security, finance, community livelihood, and governance. It requires all of us, regulators, security agencies, financial intelligence institutions, state governments, traditional institutions, licensed operators, and civil society, pulling in the same direction.”
Therefore, he charged security agencies “including the NSCDC and the Mining Marshals: your presence on the ground is the first line of defence against those who exploit our resources illegally. We must understand your capacity gaps honestly, so that we can recommend the support and reform you genuinely need.”
“To the NFIU and the EFCC: the financial trail is often where the truth is hardest to hide. Illicit proceeds do not vanish they move through accounts, shell arrangements, and cross-border channels that can be traced with the right tools and the right political will. We look to your expertise to help this Committee and the nation close those channels.”
The Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, while declaring the event open, noted that the assignment given of Ad Hoc Committee is probably one of the most important in the country at the moment.
Abbas, who was represented by the House Leader, Julius Ihonbvere, stated that for too long, unpatriotic elements have been exploiting Nigeria’s vast mineral endowment to the detriment of the country and citizens.
“Nigeria cannot achieve economic diversification, fiscal stability or job creation if the sector that should be a second revenue pillar is bleeding from illegality and opacity.
“This is not an inquisition. It is a partnership. Withhold nothing. Speak plainly. Proffer solutions. The success of this intervention depends on the quality of information we receive and the sincerity of purpose we all bring to this room,” the Speaker stated.
