By Yange Ikyaa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has accused foreigners of illegally mining gold and other minerals in Nigeria, while fueling violent activities and other criminal undertakings in the country.
Tinubu made the accusations during a speech, which he gave at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
His words: “Foreign entities abetted by local criminals who aspire to be petty warlords have drafted thousands of people into servitude to illegally mine gold and other resources. Billions of dollars meant to improve the nation now fuel violent enterprises. If left unchecked, they will threaten peace and place national security at grave risk.”
The foreign actors, notably Chinese, have been widely accused of conniving with local accomplices and armed groups to take control of large expanses of mineral-filled lands.
In the words of President Tinubu, “mercenaries and extremists with their lethal weapons and vile ideologies invade our region from the north” and “harmful trafficking undermines the peace and stability of an entire region.”
Recently, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, ordered a ban on illegal mining activities and directed law enforcement officials to take stringent action against violators.
The Governor justified the ban in a statement by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, describing illegal mining as “destructive activity” and arguing further that “government has to implement measures to protect the safety and well-being of the people.”
The statement said, “security operatives have been given strict orders to take bold action and shoot at sight anyone found engaging in illegal mining.
“The directive has become necessary to ensure the safety and security of the good people of Zamfara and deter potential wrongdoers from committing such acts.
“It is also designed to enable the government be in total control of state resources and block activities that endanger the lives and property of the people.
“Illegal mining is undeniably one of the driving forces behind the rampant banditry plaguing Zamfara State.
“We must take swift, decisive action to curb this menace and restore peace and security to our communities.”
Over the years, illegal mining in the state has tended to fuel banditry and other criminal activities.
Also, the Kebbi State Government has announced the suspension of mining activities across the State as a measure to curb security challenges.
Briefing newsmen in his office in Birnin Kebbi, the Secretary to State Government (SSG) Yakubu Bala-Tafida, said the decision was in line with recent heightened security challenges in localities with mining sites in the state.
He also said the suspension was occasioned by a lack of verifiable evidence of corporate social responsibilities on the part of miners.
“Also, there is the total absence of accruable revenue in the names of ecological tax and development levy for state and local government, respectively.
A significant number of miners do not possess the requisite permit from the Federal Ministry of Mines and Mineral and have an observable environmental impact.
“For these reasons, the government of Kebbi under the able leadership of Dr Nasir Idris has made a difficult but enviable decision to suspend all mining activities until further notice.
“This suspension is a precautionary measure aimed at ensuring the safety of both mining workers and local communities,” he said.
According to him, the government is not unmindful of the fact that mining is under the Exclusive Legislative List, yet, the decision for the suspension was made after a thorough assessment of the current security situation in the mining sites.
The SSG added that the situation had raised serious concerns about the safety of those involved in the industries.
This, he said, was coupled with the apparent lack of verifiable signs of corporate social responsibility in the midst of a complete lack of revenue generation.
In a similar move, the Kwara State Commissioner of Solid Minerals Development, Abdulquawiy Olododo, has called for synergy among various Federal Government Agencies which have direct links with the operation of the ministry.
Olododo made the call at the meeting held with the officials of these Federal Agencies at the Ministry’s Conference room.
The Agencies include the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development (FMSMD), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council(NEPC), and the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMR &DC)
He emphasized the need to have close harmony with one another in order to achieve operational efficiency. The Commissioner also commended the contributions of the Federal Agencies in the state to the developmental drive of the present administration toward harnessing mining potentials in the state.
He further stated that with effective collaboration and synergy among the stakeholders, quacks within the mining fields and those in illegal activities will be nipped in the bud.
In her contribution, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Funke Sokoya of the Ministry, charged the guests to continue to partner with the Ministry as this engagement will be on a continuous basis.
Responding, representatives of the respective Agencies thanked the Management of the Ministry for inviting them to a roundtable discussion.
They promised to work assiduously with a view to assisting and supporting the ministry in achieving the set goals for which it was established.
It would be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had recently arrested 13 Chinese nationals for allegedly engaging in illegal mining activities in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Its Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said the 12 male and one female suspects were arrested at the Government Reserved Area in Ilorin, and that “the arrest followed credible intelligence about their activities, which included but not limited to, illegal mining and non-payment of royalties to the Federal Government as required by law.”
The names of the suspects were given as Guo Wang (36), Lizli Hui (42), Guo Rong (36), Lizh Xianian (37), Lishow Wu (26), Guo Pan (38), Lia Meiyu (53), Guo Quan (36) and Lin Pan (50). Others are Ma Jan (38), Wendy Suqin (31), Li Zhinguo Wei (29) and Xie Zhinguo (53).
Uwujaren explained that “prior to their arrest, discrete investigations on the activities of illegal mining operators in Kwara State revealed that the operators have different illegal mining sites in almost all the 16 local government areas of the state.”
The EFCC spokesperson said, upon interrogation, the arrested suspects confessed to being workers of a Chinese company known as W. Mining Global Service Limited situated at Olayinka in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
It was gathered that the company was using the illegally-mined crude to produce marble and sell locally within Nigeria. Findings also revealed that some of the suspects, working in the said company, were without work permits, but only came with ‘visit permit’ from China to Abuja and travelled by road to Ilorin.
The EFCC spokesman said the suspects acted contrary to and were liable to be punished under Section 1(8) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, 1983, insisting that the suspects would be arraigned upon the conclusion of investigations, which had already begun.
The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Abdulkarim Chukkol, had on July 6, 2023, during a one-day media training for journalists in Kwara State, lamented about illegal mining in the State, describing it as a grave threat to local and national economy.
The Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC said it had in the last eight months arrested no fewer than 80 illegal miners, recovering 24 truckloads of assorted minerals from them.
