By Peregba Jerry
The House of Representatives on Wednesday, November 8, asked the federal government to declare a state of emergency against illegal mining in the country.
The House also asked the Federal Government to constitute a special security task force comprising the military, Department of State Security Services (DSS), Immigration, Civil Defence, and the Nigeria Police Force to embark on a sweeping exercise to flush out all illegal miners.
Adopting a motion on notice sponsored by the deputy leader of the House, Hon. Ibrahim Abdullahi Halims, the House said the government to make a special intervention in the 2024 budget estimates to provide for the establishment of Mineral Monitoring and Inspection Offices equipped with qualified manpower and equipment/infrastructure in the 109 senatorial districts of the country.
Halims reminded the House of the significant economic potential of Nigeria’s Solid Mineral Sector in contributing to the country’s development and expansion of its revenue base.
He said the nation was blessed with a vast mineral resources in Nigeria that are largely untapped and underutilized, which can play a critical role in diversifying the economy, creating jobs, and boosting revenue generation.
He said there was the urgent need for focused intervention and radical measures to address the issues affecting the solid minerals sector and its underperformance, as indicated in the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) 2022 report.
He said the NEITI report put the solid mineral sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, at 0.63 per cent, or N1.10 trillion, and contribution to government revenue, at 2.62 per cent of the government’s N6.63 trillion total revenue
He expressed concerned about the current challenges bedevilling the solid mineral sector because of illegal mining activities and acknowledging its detrimental impact on the environment, national security, and economic growth.
He said the country was losing huge revenue from unregulated and illicit mining operations, costing the government $9 billion annually with only 3 per cent royalties paid by a few licensed miners, hindering the country’s mineral resource utilization.
Halims also expressed concern about the negative impacts of illegal mining, which have led to insecurity and conflicts over control of mining sites and their resources and escalated into violence, thus exacerbating existing political and social tensions in the affected communities.
He said due to the increased prevalence of illegal mining and other criminal activities affecting host communities, the governors of Taraba, Benue, and Nasarawa States have signed Executive Orders banning illegal mining to protect host communities and regulate mining activities in their states.
He said there was an urgent need for the Federal Government to swiftly and decisively address the revitalisation and development of this critical sector for the benefit of the Nigerian economy and its citizens.
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