Speaker laments loss of revenue to Nigerian government
On Monday, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen said a significant part of the current insecurity in the North Western part of the country is linked to illegal mining and their collaborators.
Hon. Tajudeen lamented that communities continued to live in abject poverty and deprivation, in spite of the enormous mineral wealth in the region. The Speaker stressed that there’s need to act immediately to stem the tide of violence.
While speaking at the opening of an investigative hearing on illegal mining in the solid minerals sector in the country, the Speaker said Illegal mining activity has worsened Nigeria’s socio-economic challenges.
He added that this had led to loss of ecosystems and poverty indices, especially among farmworkers who rely solely on environmental resources for their sustenance.
The Speaker said despite being blessed with solid minerals deposits, criminal elements have largely stolen the accruals from solid minerals.
Reports suggest that about 80% of mining in the North West region is carried out illegally with the mining of largely untapped mineral deposits in the area at the root of community violence.
The lawmaker expressed concerns that several mining communities are living in distressing circumstances, economically and socially, arising from years of disregard, deprivations and severe environmental degradation, air and water pollution, caused by unsafe mining activities by illegal miners.
He added that farmlands, yield and economic trees have been impacted at an unprecedented level due to illegal mining.
The rise in illegal mining, he added, underscores essential social, institutional and structural issues in the country. He further stated that the proceeding is aimed at addressing and curbing the danger of illegal mining and regulatory functions of various stakeholders in the industry.
The House decided to investigate illegal mining activities to determine and take decisive steps towards addressing despicable mining practices and the non-compliance with set standards in the solid minerals sector.
One of the standards include the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act (Amendment) Bill and the Nigeria Solid Mineral Development Company (Establishment) Bill which are currently before the House, and for which a Public Hearing will be held on July 17, 2024.
Gbefwi said: “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.
“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.
“This development as you all know, hampers the country’s ability to maximize the benefits from its mineral resources. There is also the grave concern about the negative impacts of illegal mining which has led to insecurity and conflicts over control of mining sites and their resources.
“These conflicts have escalated into violence thereby 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”.
He said that the proceeding is an avenue for gathering insights, information, and recommendations from stakeholders, experts, and affected communities to revive and develop this critical sector for the overall benefit of the masses.
