The House of Representatives has called on the government to set up a special task force to get rid of illegal miners. They also want the government to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining. This decision was made during a meeting on Wednesday, where they discussed the issues affecting the solid minerals sector.
Ibrahim Halims, the deputy majority leader, sponsored the motion and highlighted the urgent need for focused intervention and radical measures to address the problems in the solid minerals sector. According to him, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) 2022 report shows that the state’s mineral sector contributes 2.62 percent to the government’s total revenue of N6.63 trillion.
Halims pointed out that illegal mining is a big problem for the solid minerals sector and has negative effects on the environment, national security, and economic growth. He mentioned that the government loses $9 billion annually due to unregulated and illicit mining operations, with only 3 percent royalties paid by a few licensed miners. This is hindering the country’s mineral resource utilization.
The negative impacts of illegal mining have led to insecurity and conflicts over control of mining sites and their resources, which has escalated into violence and exacerbated existing political and social tensions in the affected communities. Some state governors have already taken action by signing executive orders to ban illegal mining in order to protect host communities.
The House of Representatives voted in favour of the motion, and the speaker of the house, Tajudeen Abbas, put it to a voice vote. As a result, the government has been asked to allocate funds in the 2024 budget for the establishment of mineral monitoring and inspection offices in the 109 senatorial districts of the country.
Additionally, the government has been urged to form a special security task force for a year, comprising the military, Department of State Security Services (DSS), immigration, civil defence, and police to carry out a sweeping exercise to get rid of all illegal miners.
In September, Dele Alake, the minister of solid minerals development, gave illegal miners a 30-day ultimatum to join a miners’ cooperative. After the 30-day grace period, security agencies will clamp down on illegal miners.