By Kene Obiezu
Nigeria’s convoluted history is littered with instances where resources have been a curse rather than blessing. The difficult experience of the good people of the Niger Delta since the discovery of crude oil in the region is an abiding cautionary tale.
Nigeria is blessed with more than 50 solid minerals in different parts of the country in commercial quantity. These minerals as precious as the world daily devises new uses for nature’s gifts, and given that Nigeria is a country intent on economic diversification away from oil. The availability of the solid minerals has fueled a crazy resource race that has attracted criminals with devastating consequences for communities around the country.
Many people believe that the ceaseless conflicts in the Northwest of Nigeria, especially in Zamfara State, are fueled by the gold deposits there which have attracted locals and foreigners alike, many of them criminals. Traditional rulers have also been indicted in the resources-related conflicts in the state and region.
Nigeria appears to have no sufficient control over its mineral deposits. There is a Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development which is dedicated to the discovery and development of the solid minerals. This ministry has a couple of government parastatals and agencies under its direct supervision. There are also multiple legislations and regulations aimed at regulating the sector. Yet, just enough lacuna remains for criminals desperate enough to stay one-step head of relevant authorities, who have shown lethargy and complicity in the illegal dealings in the sector for long periods.
As with many other sectors, corruption remains the bane of the minerals sector. A couple of government officials prefer to receive kickbacks and look away while criminals flourish in the sector.
Nigeria is the ultimate loser in this rat-race for its minerals, in which criminals are showing blistering pace to burn Nigerian authorities. The country continues to lose crucial revenue and opportunities to criminals who make money off Nigeria’s solid minerals before using such money to rig elections and sponsor terrorism.
Unemployment remains rife in Nigeria while a sector that can create employment is being underused and undervalued by criminals.
Locals remain at the receiving end of these criminals and their ruthless mineral politics. Communities which used to know tranquility and serenity even in grinding poverty have been turned upside down and uprooted in many instances by the well-heeled executioners of Nigeria’s mineral economy.
Just as the Niger Delta has been turned upside down by rampaging environmental injustice because of crude oil, many communities in Nigeria who are unfortunate to have solid minerals locked in their soils are on the verge of being overrun by illegal miners who often have their fingers in many illicit pies.
Many of them thrive because despite an abundance of legislations and regulations, enforcement remains weak. By its nature, the sector is also very prone to corruption. This is because Nigeria’s lack of investment and involvement in the sector has left supervision lose and shady deals possible.
With the country in dire need of revenue, diversification to include the solid minerals sector is key. To achieve this, the vicious cycle of complacency spun around dependence on oil revenue must be broken.
Maximizing the potentials of the solid minerals sector would also offer a way out for many young Nigerians who are jobless and restless.
For the sake of justice, it is also imperative that the government steps in and regulates the solid minerals’ sector with transparency and accountability. It is only by doing this that communities long exploited and deprived by these criminals will be dealt a fair hand.
• Obiezu is a concerned Nigerian and public affairs commentator