It is sad that illegal mining has continued to thrive in many states across the country, despite measures put in place by the federal government and governors of the affected states to stop the menace. According to recent media reports, instead of abating, illegal mining has steadily been on the rise. It has also worsened the precarious security situation in some parts of the country.
In September 2023, the six governors of the North-East states: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe, under the auspices of the North-East Governors Forum, had noted the danger of the proliferation of illegal mining activities in the region and vowed to decisively deal with the problem. Having observed that there was an inseparable link between illegal mining and insecurity, especially the abuse of mining leases, they resolved to enforce the provision of local consent as contained in Nigeria’s mining policy.
The governors’ resolve notwithstanding, illegal mining has relentlessly continued in the difficult terrains of the remote areas of Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states. Items they cart away at give-away prices include gold, copper, lithium, aluminium, monozide and iron. Similarly, about 80 per cent of mining in the North-West region is said to be carried out illegally, even with the federal government’s ban on artisanal mining in Zamfara State, which has significant deposits of gold.
No fewer than 80 illegal miners were arrested by the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with truckloads of assorted minerals last year. The suspects, comprising 12 males and a female, confessed working for a Chinese company in Ifelodun local government area of the state. In Cross River State, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) apprehended at least 21 suspected illegal miners in May, 2023. The suspects were nabbed in the Utanga village of the Obanliku Local Government Area of the state. Unfortunately, illegal mining also booms in Osun and Akwa Ibom states.
According to the President, Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society, Prof. Akinade Olatunji, illegal mining is the extraction of mineral resources at whatever volume without the necessary approval from the statutory regulatory authorities. Olatunji also says that such activities are not known or monitored by the government, hence the government does not get what it should in terms of revenue. Apart from undermining the economy, illegal mining has increased cases of banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities across the country.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has recently raised the alarm over illegal mining in the country. He also alleged that powerful Nigerians who sponsored banditry and kidnappings in some parts of the country were behind illegal mining in the affected areas. The minister, who made the disclosure when he appeared before the House Committee on Solid Minerals to defend the ministry’s 2024 budget estimate, said government would identify those involved in the heinous criminality and take appropriate action against them. Nigerians would want the government to fulfill this promise by unmasking those involved in illegal mining and sponsorship of banditry and terrorism.
No doubt, the government has lost so much revenue as a result of illegal mining. According to available records, Nigeria loses about $9 billion annually to illegal mining. Although Nigeria has huge deposit of bitumen, the largest in Africa, yet the government spends millions of dollars Nigeria to import 500,000 metric tonnes of bitumen for road construction annually. This is unacceptable and must be stopped forthwith.
The factors fueling illegal mining include greed, poverty, the non-formalization of mining activities and the high profit of illicit mining. Illegal miners are on the prowl simply because the government has not mustered the political will to reposition the sector and make it attractive to foreign investors. To curb the activities of illegal miners, the federal government should through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development capture the biometric data of all registered artisanal and small-scale miners. Doing so will minimize the activities of illegal miners, smuggling of solid minerals as well as enhance government’s revenue. It will also create more jobs.
We enjoin the federal government to stop playing politics with the solid mineral sector, which has the potential of earning the country the highest revenue after crude oil. At a time many experts are calling for the diversification of the economy, the development of the non-oil sector, especially the solid minerals, must be given priority attention. Therefore, the government should stop the economic sabotage by bringing to justice those behind illegal mining across the country.