THE recent ultimatum issued to illegal miners in the country by the new Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake,has again brought to the fore problems associated with the solid minerals sector of the country’s economy. Prior to this time, the country was losing huge resources to the activities of illegal miners who have taken over because the sector has been largely neglected. The country is also losing funds due to her inability to organise and harness its large deposit mineral resources.
NIGERIA is acknowledged to be one of the greatest naturally endowed nations of the world with the availability of virtually all major natural minerals found in the country. The Nigerian Extractive Industry and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) report suggested that there are over 30 different kinds of solid minerals and precious metals (Sapphire, Aquamarine, Topaz, etc) buried in the belly of Nigeria’s soil waiting to be exploited. The agency further revealed that solid minerals contribution to export value in 2021 for instance was 0.24 percent of the country’s total export, a manifestation that these valuable minerals have not been adequately explored, harnessed, and utilised to benefit the people of the country.
IN other words, the sector has been largely neglected due to overwhelming reliance on the crude oil that was yielding over 90 percent of Nigeria’s foreign earnings until recently.
INDEED, criminal elements and greedy individuals have taken advantage of the failure of the federal government to illegally take over and mine these resources for their own benefits and their sponsors.This has culminated in increased criminal activities in areas where precious minerals are found particularly in the northern part of the country that has become homes to bandits and other criminal elements harassing, intimidating, killing, and extorting host communities of these valuable untapped minerals. It has also caused several dangerous incidents and accidents resulting in loss of precious lives as recently witnessed in Abuja where 30 people were reportedly killed in a landslide caused by the activities of illegal miners.
IT was therefore a source of joy and relief to many Nigerians when penultimate week the new Minister of Solid Minerals Development gave illegal miners 30 days deadline to join a miners’ co-operative or face the full wrath of the law, insisting that from October all illegal miners will be arrested by mines police that would be drafted from the Nigerian Police Force to fish them out as the Ministry is introducing a security tax force to combat illegal mining and smuggling across the country. The Minister issued the ultimatum during the unveiling of the ‘Agenda for the Transformation of the Solid Minerals for International Competitiveness and Domestic Prosperity’ recently in Abuja.
THE ultimatum issued to the illegal miners is not only timely but essentially commendable because besides the simple fact that the country is losing huge revenues to their activities, the areas where these valuable minerals are located have become homes to mayhem and attendant insecurity in the country. Consequently, exterminating their illegal activities will reduce the problem of insecurity, increase revenue accruable to government and generate needed employment opportunity for Nigerians.
HOWEVER, as plausible as the ultimatum may be, the Minister must go beyond mere issuing of order to ensuring that the order is faithfully implemented with good results. This is because several of such orders were not implemented in the past. Some state governments that have been harnessing the mineral resources in their states must desist and allow the federal government that is constitutionally responsible for solid mineral resources exploitation and management in the country to do so.
THE federal government because of its many roles and the size of the country need to involve the states in the exploitation and management of the valuable mineral resources located in their domain and the states must be ready to partner and cooperate with the federal government to ensure the new initiative of ridding the country of illegal miners and their criminal tendencies.
MEMBERS of the society also need to cooperate and support the governments by exposing the activities of illegal miners both to government and security agents. The security agents need to be proactive by supporting the government initiatives and put an end to the destructive escapades of illegal miners in the country.
