Monday, August 11, 2025 - Stakeholders in the mining sector say illegal mining will persist in Nigeria as long as poverty exists.
In spite of Federal Government’s measures to combat illegal mining, it remains a source of livelihood for many living in poverty. 63 per cent of persons living in Nigeria are multidimensionally poor, according to the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Survey by the National Bureau for Statistics.
The report says multidimensional poverty is higher in rural
areas, where 72 per cent of people are poor, compared to 42 per cent of people
in urban areas.
President of the Gemstone Miners and Marketers Association
of Nigeria (GMMAN), Adeniran Ajibade, noted that illegal mining was being
addressed but could not confirm that it had declined, possibly due to poverty
in the country.
Ajibade said controlling people who resort to scavenging for
minerals at mining sites due to economic hardships was usually difficult.
“As long as we have poverty, there will always be people
that will be looking at how they can get something from the ground.
“This is because most of the time when we talk about them as
artisanal and small-scale miners, they are highly migratory; they freelance all
over the place, in the bush, and are very difficult to control,” he said.
He said that as part of efforts to address the situation,
the government, during reforms in the mining sector in 2007 under a World Bank
project, established the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Department.
He explained that the department, domiciled in the Ministry
of Solid Minerals Development, was created to enumerate and formalise artisanal
and small-scale miners, as well as build their capacity to mine efficiently and
within the ambit of the law.
According to him, the inauguration of the Mining Marshals in
2024 has contributed to combating illegal mining, especially by large
companies, but it remains difficult to apprehend individuals engaged in the
practice.
“I also found out that the minister is also establishing a
mine marshal office in different parts of the federation.
“So, with those people there, they will be able to back up
the Mines Inspectorate Department and Mines Environment and Compliance
Department of the ministry to be able to combat the menace of illegal mining,”
he said.
Similarly, Mr Philip Jakpor, Executive Director of Renevlyn
Development Initiative (RDI), explained that poverty had forced several mining
communities to become involved in illegal mining.
“It’s like this: if they leave the resources, others will
come and pillage them, so instead of allowing just others to do it, why not
also benefit even if it’s little,” he explained.
Akpor noted that mining operations had regulations which
mining firms were not adhering to in their quest to maximise profits and
stressed that they must be compelled to comply, as community members were the
victims.
A miner, Mrs Ladidi Yakubu, said that although poverty can
push people into illegal mining, large organisations were perpetrating the
crime, some of which have been linked to sponsoring banditry and other crimes
in mining areas.
“The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Dele Alake, and Senator
Adams Oshiomhole also attest to the fact that we have big, powerful illegal
miners sponsoring banditry.
“They exploit the vulnerability of the poor to perpetrate
their crimes, which is very sad.
“We pray that this new administration addresses the hardship
Nigerians are experiencing today because things are so difficult,” she said
0 Comments