Illegal mining in Nigeria, particularly in the North West region, fuels rural banditry and local conflicts, undermining the potential benefits of the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector. Key points include:
– Significant Employment: At its peak in 2017, Nigeria’s artisanal mining sector employed around 600,000 individuals, contributing to local infrastructure development.
– Criminal Activities: Collaboration between influential Nigerians and Chinese firms facilitates illegal gold mining, leading to violent outcomes in regions like North West, North Central, and parts of South West Nigeria.
– Extent of Illegal Mining: Approximately 80% of the North West’s mining is illegal, exacerbating local conflicts due to competition over valuable mineral deposits, particularly gold.
– Government Response: A ban on artisanal mining, initiated in April 2019, alongside military enforcement, has failed to curtail illegal mining activities.
– Rising Violence: Conflicts have escalated since 2014, with over 5,000 deaths in Zamfara State alone in five years. Recent incidents have seen both security forces and bandits clashing, highlighting the ongoing instability.
– Root Causes of Conflict:
1. Control Disputes: Funders of illegal mining fight over mining rights, often with governmental backing.
2. Funding of Rural Crime: Sponsors of illegal mining destabilise local communities by financing banditry and cattle rustling, displacing populations and enabling illegal mining operations.
– Governance Issues: Nigeria’s governance framework shows failures in addressing poverty, ineffective service delivery, and a lack of regulatory oversight, particularly regarding foreign involvement in illegal mining.
– Contradictory Legal Framework: The federal government controls mineral resources, leading to conflicts over jurisdiction between federal and state governments. This undermines local governance and resource management.
– Recommendations: The National Assembly should amend the mining act to transfer control of mineral resources to state governments, enhance enforcement of laws, and address the socio-economic issues driving local conflicts.