Stakeholders in the mining sector have said that illegal mining will persist in Nigeria as long as poverty exists.

They spoke on Sunday in Abuja that, despite Federal Government measures to combat illegal mining, it remains a source of livelihood for many living in poverty.

Sixty-three per cent of persons living in Nigeria are multidimensionally poor, according to the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) Survey by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The report noted that multidimensional poverty was higher in rural areas, where 72 per cent of people are poor, compared to 42 per cent of people in urban areas.

President of the Gemstone Miners and Marketers Association of Nigeria, Adeniran Ajibade, noted that illegal mining was being addressed but could not confirm that it had declined, possibly due to poverty in the country.

Mr Ajibade said controlling people who resort to scavenging for minerals at mining sites due to economic hardships was usually difficult.

He stated, “As long as we have poverty, there will always be people that will be looking at how they can get something from the ground. This is because most of the time when we talk about them as artisanal and small-scale miners, they are highly migratory; they freelance all over the place, in the bush, and are very difficult to control.’’

He said that as part of efforts to address the situation, the government, during reforms in the mining sector in 2007 under a World Bank project, established the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Department.

He explained that the department, domiciled in the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, was created to enumerate and formalise artisanal and small-scale miners, as well as build their capacity to mine efficiently and within the ambit of the law.

According to him, the inauguration of the mining marshals in 2024 contributed to combating illegal mining, especially by large companies, but it remains difficult to apprehend individuals engaged in the practice.

He said, “I also found out that the minister is also establishing a mine marshal office in different parts of the federation. So, with those people there, they will be able to back up the Mines Inspectorate Department and Mines Environment and Compliance Department of the ministry to be able to combat the menace of illegal mining.’’

Similarly, Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, Philip Jakpor, noted that poverty forced several mining communities to become involved in illegal mining.

He stated, “It’s like this: if they leave the resources, others will come and pillage them, so instead of allowing just others to do it, why not also benefit even if it’s little.’’

Mr Akpor noted that mining operations had regulations which mining firms were not adhering to in their quest to maximise profits, noting that they must be compelled to comply, as community members were the victims.

A miner, Ladidi Yakubu, said that though poverty could push people into illegal mining, large organisations were perpetrating the crime, some of which have been linked to sponsoring banditry and other crimes in mining areas.

She said, “The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Dele Alake, and Senator Adams Oshiomhole also attest to the fact that we have big, powerful illegal miners sponsoring banditry. They exploit the vulnerability of the poor to perpetrate their crimes, which is very sad. We pray that this new administration addresses the hardship Nigerians are experiencing today because things are so difficult.’’ 

(NAN)