By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

The House of Representatives yesterday lamented that the country was losing $9b dollars yearly to illegal Mining, which the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas said illegal Mining activities has exposed the host communities to agonizing conditions.Chairman, House Committee on Solid Mineral, Hon.

Jonathan Gaza at an investigative hearing, disclosed that while unlawful mining was costing the country $9bn each year, the only money benefitted was coming from a three percent royalty paid by the few licensed miners. This was just as the Chief of Defence Staff; General Christopher Musa disclosed that those involved in illegal mining have connections, often bragging to have links with those at the top.Meanwhile, the Nigeria Army said it has arrested 387 individuals in connection with illegal mining.Speaking at a public hearing organized by the House Committee on Solid Minerals development on the need to investigate illegal mining in the solid mineral sector, Gaza said that the development had hampered the country’s ability to maximize the benefits from its mineral resources.According to him, the negative impacts of illegal mining have led to insecurity and conflicts over control of mining sites and their resources.He said these conflicts have escalated into violence there by exacerbating existing political and social tensions in affected communities which has resulted in the limited data availability and inadequate measures to control this illicit practice.”This public hearing is aimed to investigating illegal mining activities, under-reporting wins (extract E-Products) by mining and quarry license operators, utilization of financial interventions in the Nigerian solid minerals sector amounting to trillions of naira within the solid mineral sector and also the Nigeria minerals and Mining Act (Amendment Bill) and Nigeria solid Minerals Development Company (establishment bill) respectively.”The leadership of the 10th House of Assembly has found it expedient and a sense of duty to carry out these investigative hearings to necessitate transparency and accountability, public participation, policy formation and identify challenges and solutions that will ultimately lead to the revamping of our solid mineral sector.As we are all aware, illegal mining poses substantial risks to our nation’s economy, environment, and security.”The unregulated exploitation of our natural resources jeopardizes the sustainability of the mineral sector, leading to environmental degradation and revenue loss that could otherwise benefit our communities and nation as a whole.”It is imperative that we take as a matter of urgency, decisive steps and necessary action to address this issue and ensure that our solid mineral sector operates within the framework of the law, protecting our natural resources for future generations.”Furthermore, as representatives of the people, the parliament is deeply worried about the loss of revenue through unregulated and illicit mining operations with the Federal Government disclosing that unlawful mining costs the country $9bn each year, with the only money coming from a 3 percent royalty paid by the few licensed miners.”By attentively listening to their testimonies and perspectives, we can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges posed by illegal mining and develop effective strategies to combat this illicit activity. Allow me to state emphatically that the time is now for us to work collaboratively and take immediate and decisive actions to revitalize and develop this critical sector for the overall benefit of all Nigerians while preserving our environment for future generations.Speaking on why illegal mining activities have continue to take place despite move by the federal government to curtail it, Director Of Operations, Air Vice Marshal Nnaemeka Ignatius Ilo who represented the Chief of Defence staff said that most people involved in the process have connections backing them up, adding that foreigners also come into the country to carry out the illegal act.

“The involvement of the elites in it, we can’t tell, but we know that most of the time when we catch these foreigners, they will tell us that they have connections. I don’t want to say some things, but sometimes you hand these people over and the next thing you see, they’re released.”In 2018 or so, during the last administration, there was a ban on illegal mining in South Africa, South Africa, Sinai, Nigeria, which even established a gold mine zone. Despite that ban, mining licenses were being issued to people to mine in that zone. So the strengthening of the institutional framework is very key.”Anybody caught in this illegal mining must be dealt with decisively and examples should be made for others to know publicly that this is what the government is doing to ensure that we tackle that area.The third aspect we noted is poverty. These areas where this illegal mining takes place, the people are poor. Virtually, lack of education is also part of it. Most of them that we get one way or the other, no formal education.Speaking also at the hearing, the representative of Nigeria Army Colonel Tajudeen Lamidi said that the Nigeria Army has arrested 387 individuals in connection with illegal mining.”In summary, I would say from December to date, in Abia, we have 10 people arrested. In Ebonyi State, we have 12. The Federal Capital Territory and its environs – I mean places like Kuje, Bwari, and more, we’ve arrested 276 individuals. While in Osun State, we’ve arrested 19.In Oyo, particularly in the northern part of Oyo State, where they share bandry with Kwara State; those places are very close to the whole Oyo National Park; we’ve arrested around 55 people. I think the minna, in that particular place, meets about 17 trucks loaded with Konzite.In Plateau we have 25, while in Zamfara, we have 15.”When the APM was talking the other day, he mentioned the issue of the ban of mining activity in Zamfara. Well, sadly, we still arrested people in that community that is still taking place.Just like I said, we continue to collaborate with the agencies that are constitutionally mandated to check illegal mining. “But it is because we realize there is a nexus between insecurity and illegal mining, which the chairman also alluded to in his opening remarks, when he said, if you want, you cannot fight illegal mining without fighting security.”If you want to actually reduce insecurity in the country, those agencies that are also mandated to fight insecurity must also fight illegal mining. So, in terms of challenges, I think the APM has touched on some of the challenges which we have. I think the APM, the civil defense men, and the man from the Ministry of Solidarity and Relief, we’ve actually been involved in the issue of illegal mining, I think, since January. When I came, I saw that they are the same people from the agencies that have been isolating us.”The issue of those communities, the APM talked about it, there is poverty, and they are also involved in it. And I think this makes it very, very difficult to check illegal mining. It is not only the people coming from outside that are involved. The locals benefit from it. But the question is, what is the role of the state, what is the role of the local government in illegal mining? I think most of it is raised with the federal government. Why the state and the local government don’t actually have roles to play. I think we need to look for roles for both the state and the local government to get involved.While declaring the public hearing open, the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas who was represented by the Leader Professor Julius Ihonvbere noted that Illegal mining activity is a growing socio-economic challenge in Nigeria, adding that it has led to loss of ecosystems and increased poverty level especially among peasant farmers who depend solely on environmental resources for a living.According to him, Nigeria is richly blessed with solid minerals, which should bring great fortune to the country and the citizens, but the wealth is largely stolen by criminal elements. According to reports, an estimated 80% of mining in the North West region is carried out illegally and the mining of large untapped mineral deposits in the area is at the root of community violence.Speaker of the House of Reps, Tajudeen Abbas said that the rise in illegal mining highlights fundamental social, institutional and structural problems in the country.He added that the investigation was aimed to provide enough guidance on curbing the menace of illegal mining.The Speaker said that the aim was to also assess the role played by the regulators in the process of their regulatory functions as it relates to mining practices.This he said was currently before the House and for which a Public Hearing would soon be held.He said the investigative hearing was critical in the fact that various communities where mining is taking place in Nigeria live in agonising conditions, economically and socially.