Nigeria’s vast mineral wealth is fast becoming a source concern as a new report, tagged "Violent Earth: Mineral Governance and Endemic Insecurities in Nigeria", has unearthed how the country's mineral wealth is fast becoming an avenue for violence, terrorism, corruption, and environmental nuisance instead of the blessings that such mineral deposits should be to the nation and it's people.
The report which was presented at the 5th West African Mining Host Communities Indaba in Abuja on Wednesday, the research by Global Rights exposed link between illegal mining, criminal cartels, weak regulation, and state complicity.
The report presented an expository on what goes on underground in mining sites, from Zamfara’s goldfields to Kogi limestone quarries, warning that communities are drowning in poisoned rivers, abandoned on degraded lands, and trapped in spiraling insecurity across the mineral deposits grounds.
The report further indicted Nigeria’s mining sector as a hub of chaos and bloodshed; alleging that illegal artisanal mining, driven by poverty and foreign actors, have exploded beyond control. It alleged that organized crime and terrorism are being bankrolled by proceeds from stolen minerals while weak federal oversight and corrupt licensing have turned farmlands into wastelands.
The research concluded by stressing that unchecked mining is no longer just an environmental disaster but a direct national security threat.
According to the Executive Director of Global Rights. Abiodun Baiyewu; "Where there is mining, there is violence.
Children are dying, rivers are poisoned, and lands are lost. Communities are being sacrificed for wealth they will never see.
“The promise of a greener world must not come at the expense of the people whose heritage is being traded under the guise of energy transition,” Baiyewu stated
In his keynote address, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, warned that the country has reached a climax and anything could happen.
“Our mining laws are relics. Our institutions are weak. Our communities are abandoned while our minerals are stolen. This cannot continue,” he thundered.
Orji who quoted NEITI’s data, he said that despite hosting over 44 mineral types in 500 locations, the sector contributed only ₦401.8 billion in 2023, just 0.83% of GDP.
“This is unacceptable in a country sitting on a mountain of wealth. If we fail to act boldly now, others will use our minerals to power the green future while our own communities remain in poverty and devastation.
“This is not another talk shop. No more lamentations, no more empty promises. The time to reform is now.”
With the Indaba theme, “The Intersection of Green Mining and the Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC),” lawmakers, chiefs, and activists demanded a radical shift in mining governance.
For instance, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on
Solid Minerals, Hon. Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi declared:
“Mining cannot continue to be measured only in tons of ore and billions of naira. The true measure must be whether it uplifts the people who live on the land. No community should pay the price of poverty for sitting on riches..
“The time for voluntary corporate social responsibility is over. What we need now is binding legislation that guarantees justice.
“The future of our mining sector depends on one truth. Minerals must no longer bleed us to death, they must give life."
With delegates from Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and across Nigeria in attendance, the Indaba resounded with a singular warning: mineral wealth must not become a continental curse.