By Ezrel Tabiowo
Abuja
Worried at the sliding fortunes of the nation’s economy, especially against the backdrop of the crash in global oil price, the Senate yesterday revealed that the country over the last two years was losing a whopping sum of N8 trillion to illegal mining.
The Senate in its determination to redress the situation accordingly mandated its Committee on Solid Minerals to holistically investigate the activities of illegal miners in the country, with a view to proffering lasting solutions to the problem.
The upper chamber also directed the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), and other law enforcement agencies to wake up from slumber and live up to their responsibilities, particularly by arresting and prosecuting perpetrators of illegal mining in the country.
The Senate further urged the executive at the federal, state and the local government levels to take concrete steps towards ending the illegal mining in the country.
These were resolutions reached sequel to a motion brought to the floor of the Senate by Senator Duro Faseyi (Ekiti state), which he entitled: “Illegal Mining of the Nation’s Solid Minerals.”
In his submissions on the motion, Senator Faseyi drew the attention of the Senate to the worrisome, unlawful plundering of the nation’s solid minerals sector by local and foreign illegal miners operating in the country.
He claimed that the illegal mining had resulted in the nation’s loss of N8 trillion every two years, lamenting that it had impacted adversely on the already ailing economy.
The politician told the Senate that illegal mining was thriving in the country as a result of weak legislations and poor enforcement, saying that the situation had jeopardised the urgent need to diversify the economy from oil to solid minerals sector.
Faseyi argued that, as a result of the progressive dwindling oil revenue, diversification of the economy had become imperative to shore up the nation’s earnings, boost the economy and create employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths.
He also hinted the Red Chamber that illegal mining had resulted in the devastation and pollution of the environment, leading to the death of hundreds of Nigerians, with several thousands of others infested with various ailments, especially in the rural areas.
The lawmaker observed that the government appeared to be helpless, without any concrete strategy in place to tackle the problem, which he described as a monumental economic sabotage.
Senator Lanre Tejuoso, in his contribution, pointed out that the solid minerals sector was not as successful as the petroleum sector in terms of revenue generation because the federal Government had monopoly of the returns from the sector, unlike the liberality enjoyed by the oil sector in terms of control of its revenue.
He, therefore, suggested that the Senate should make laws to empower state governments to had jurisdiction to control and harness solid minerals for more productive exploitation.
President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who presided over the session, in his remarks noted that the federal, state and local governments were losing huge revenues, coupled with environmental pollution from illegal mining.
He said that this present administration, which governance philosophy was anchored on change, must do everything within its powers to tackle these problems to facilitate rapid national development.
