Nigeria has bitumen reserves worth up to $1.5 trillion with a potential state wealth worth $657 billion, however, over N300 billion is spent billion importing bitumen. In this report Kehinde Osasona examines government’s intervention towards curbing illegal mining.
Former Nigeria Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola once was quoted as having said Nigeria has the largest bitumen deposit in Africa and the world, saying despite that, the government spends millions of dollars to import 500,000 metric tonnes of bitumen for road construction annually.
Similarly, the Director-General of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, the agency saddled with the responsibility of generating the geoscience data, Dr Abdulrasaq Garba, had once revealed that there are about 44 mineral types in 450 locations across the 774 local governments.
While also reeling out mineral occurrence in the country in a recent release, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) listed some of the mineral depositions to include granite, aggregate, Laterite, Coal, Shale, Columbite, Tin Ore, Gypsum, Feldspar, Marble, Dolomite, Tantalite, Kaolin, Fluorite, QUARTZ, Basalt, Talc, Manganese, Barites, Zircon, and precious stones like Tourmaline, Topaz, Sapphire, Amethyst and Garnet.
Nigeria has “very vast” gold deposition with occurrences in Niger, Osun, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Nasarawa, Bauchi states and the Federal Capital Territory, while Wolframite has occurrences in Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, Niger, Kwara, Zamfara and Nasarawa states; same way Lithium has “vast” occurrences and could be found in Nasarawa, Kwara, Kaduna, Niger, and Zamfara states.
In Ebonyi, Zamfara, and Plateau states, some parts of Benue State and the FCT, there is silver, while Copper associated with minerals like lead could be found in Bauchi, Zamfara, FCT, and parts of Nasarawa State.
Despite being rich in these high-valued minerals, our correspondent findings further revealed that unlawful mining costs the country $9 billion each year, with the only money coming from a 3 per cent royalty paid by the few licensed miners.
Today, Illegal mining is rife from Itagunmodi to Igun, Iyere, Igila, and other poor, gold-bearing areas in Osun state, and Kwali, Daki Takwas, Zugu, Wawan Icce, Yan Kaura, and other gold-bearing communities in Zamfara state, among other places.
Sadly too, most of the resources are left in the hands of illegal miners. While many countries, including Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea Bissau, China, Russia, have attracted big investors to mine their gold and generate sizeable revenue from the value chain, Nigeria only begun the process of coming up with the all-important geosciences data a few years.
It is believed that illegal mining, especially of gold, was responsible for the high rate of insecurity in parts of Niger state. The state Governor, Umar Bago, while addressing the inaugural state executive council said the administration would no longer tolerate the activities of illegal miners in the state.
Consequent upon the sad development, Bago had threatened to stop mining activities in the state to enable government profile all those involved in such businesses across the state and keep accurate record of their activities.
Again, when an explosion occurred in major parts of Ibadan a few days ago, the Oyo state Governor, Seyi Makinde, was quick to attribute the blast to explosives reportedly stored by illegal miners who had long engaged in mining activities in the state.
Aside that, concerned Nigerians have also attributed some of the security challenges in the country to illegal mining activities and other shoddy deals involved.
Interventions
There are grumbles that the former administration of President Muhammadu Buhari did little or nothing in arresting the menace, but the administration it would be recalled not only set up a mining police committee comprising the Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Army Staff, National Security Adviser (NSA), and others in 2020, they went ahead to ban mining activities in Zamfara State and declared the state a “no-fly zone” due to worsening insecurity.
President Bola Tinubu employed a new strategy by hitting the ground running, warning that illegal miners’ and unlicensed miners must go.
Tinubu fired the first salvo when he took the fight to the United Nations (UN), compelling declaration that the time is now for UN member states to show, with their actions, that they mean what they say concerning the crackdown on terror financing, economic sabotage, and illicit mineral & arms smuggling in the developing world.
At the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City last year, the Nigerian president said: “The fourth important aspect of global trust and solidarity is to secure the continent’s mineral-rich areas from pilfering and conflict.
“Many such areas have become catacombs of misery and exploitation. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has suffered this for decades, despite the strong UN presence there. The world economy owes the DRC much but gives her very little.
“Foreign entities that are abetted by local criminals, who aspire to be petty warlords, have drafted thousands of our people into servitude to illegally mine gold and other resources.
“Billions of dollars meant to improve the nation now fuel countless violent enterprises. If left unchecked, they will threaten peace and place national security at grave risk.
“Given the extent of this injustice and the high stakes involved, many Africans are asking whether this phenomenon is by accident or by design.
“Member nations must reply by working with us to deter their firms and nationals from this 21st-century pillage of the continent’s riches. To keep faith with the tenets of this world body and the theme of this year’s Assembly, the poverty of nations must end.
“The pillage of one nation’s resources by the overreach of firms and people of stronger nations must now end.”
Clamp down on miners
Walking the talk, back home, the federal government last year clamped down on the illegal activities of miners and their foreign collaborators when it revoked 1,633 minerals titles previously given to non-complying mining companies.
The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, headed by Mr Dele Alake, also promised to clean up the solid minerals sector for international competitiveness, urging all stakeholders who have acted wrongly in the sector to turn a new leaf.
Alake announced the new move during a press briefing in Abuja, alleging that the mineral title holders’ licenses were revoked due to failure to pay mandatory annual service fees of N1, 500 per cadastral unit.
He lamented that the mining firms who have held the licenses for years, making huge profits from mining sites, still failed to make necessary payments accrued to the government.
“It is indeed very unconscionable for corporate bodies making huge profits from mining to refuse to give the government its due by failing to pay their annual service fee.
“It is indeed a reasonable conjecture that such a company will be willing to pay royalties and honour its tax obligations to the government. The amount the companies are being asked to pay is peanuts compared to their revenue projections, he said.
Similarly, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), last year arrested 13 Chinese nationals in Ilorin, Kwara state, for allegedly indulging in unlawful mining activities.
In addition, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) apprehended at least 21 suspected illegal miners in Cross River state in May of last year.
Expert’s take
Stakeholders and experts in the sector are of the opinion that those who sponsor illegal mining also fund banditry and cattle rustling in mining communities in order to incite violence among cattle breeders.
Some of them, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said conflicts arising from their activities have further created a platform for illegal mining to thrive.
When asked by Blueprint Weekend why the illicit act has continued unabated despite government efforts to thwart miners’ activities, a Geologist, who does not want his name in print, blamed the government for not doing the needful.
According to him, if the government wanted to discourage illegal mining and improve activities, there must be thorough monitoring, law enforcement, use of satellite geo-mapping and that policy summersault must be avoided.
