Stakeholders in the mining sector, including the Federation of Nigerian Mining Host Communities, Miners Association of Nigeria and the Civil Society Coalition on Nigeria’s Mining Sector, are canvassing for stronger regulation of the solid mineral sector.
Their request is pegged on the stockpile of problems the sector has suffered due to the operations of illegal and unauthorised miners in some parts of the country.
While making the call in a statement to BusinessDay, they commended the political will of the minister for Mines and Steel Development, Olamilekan Adegbite, in sanitizing the mining industry in Nigeria – a willingness demonstrated by three separate sets of arrests of illegal aliens (particularly Chinese and Ghanaian miners) who have been mining without due authorization in Nigeria.
But the stakeholders want the minister to go beyond the arrest, which was made in May, 2020, through the combined efforts of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, the Nigerian Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps.
“Since these arrests… the apprehended suspects are yet to be arraigned before a competent court of law. There has also been no official statement by the Ministry highlighting their next steps towards ensuring preventive oversight and regulation of the sector.
“It is clear to all that the mining sector possesses inherent potential to substantially improve the Nigerian economy. However, the sector suffers from revenue leakages due to failure to strengthen its regulation, and decades-long failure to tackle the lack of transparency and accountability, thereby inhibiting its inability to adequately contribute to the country’s economy,” they said.
The environmental degradation, loss of water bodies and insecurity suffered by mining host communities are in no way commensurate with the volume of mining that has been accounted for in the country. The actions of illegal and unregulated miners are contributory to these many challenges that impede the growth of the solid mineral sector, they added.
So, they want the minister to act swiftly by increasing monitoring of the activities of foreign mining companies in the solid mineral sectors and immediately arraigning the apprehended illegal miners before a competent court of law.
They also called for: “The resuscitation of the Mining Industry Strategy Team (MIST) constituted by the office of the Minister of Mines and Steel Development to monitor and advise on the implementation of the Minerals and Mining Roadmap.
“Increased surveillance of mineral-rich communities across Nigeria to prevent unregulated mining, and incentivizing host communities to report irregular activities.
“The incentivizing of the formation of mining cooperatives by artisanal miners regulations of the solid mineral sector to ensure that it contributes adequately to the country’s economy.”
