The Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr. Dele Alake, asserted before the House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals that influential Nigerians engaged in illegal mining are also funding criminal activities such as banditry and terrorism within the country.
Appearing for the 2024 budget defense in Abuja on Tuesday, Alake highlighted the connection between illegal mining and the sponsorship of violent activities, emphasizing that these perpetrators were not mere individuals extracting gold but powerful figures in Nigeria.
According to Alake, the majority of illegal miners are not foreigners, but rather, foreigners involved in illegal mining are symptoms of a larger issue.
He disclosed ongoing efforts to identify and address these powerful individuals, utilizing both kinetic and non-kinetic means.
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Alake stated, “Nigerians are those powerful people behind them; we are identifying them with both kynetic and non-kynetic means. We have encouraged those petty illegal miners to form cooperatives.”
He said the most disturbing aspect was that most of the foreigners engaged in illegal mining in the country had no proper immigration.
He said for mining to generate the requisite revenue, there was a need to have a formal structure that the multinational could deal with, just like the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Ltd.
He, however, said that the approach of the ministry under his leadership would be different from NNPCL, adding that the structure being proposed for Nigeria Mining Cooperation would be primarily private sector-driven.
He disclosed that “Nigeria will also have its equity, adding that this would mean that no government could destabilize the structure.”
Highlighting the vast mineral wealth in Nigeria, estimated at over $700 billion, Alake urged the committee to support the ministry’s efforts, emphasizing the potential to contribute trillions in revenue to the country’s coffers.
He underscored the importance of engaging host communities to maintain law and order around mining activities.
Alake equally pleaded with the committee to consider the amount budgeted for the ministry in the 2024 budget proposal.
“If we are given that amount of money, I can tell you that what the ministry will contribute will outweigh other ministries, including what we are deriving from oil.
“We can return trillions to the coffers of this country as revenue if we are given such a budget as proposed,” he added.
According to the minister, we have 44 minerals in high demand, but we have six that are in global demand and Nigeria had the potential to become one of the destination hubs of the world’s economy through solid minerals.
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Gaza Gbefwi, acknowledged the significance of the solid minerals sector for the country’s economic diversity.
However, he criticized the grossly inadequate funds allocated in the 2024 budget and assured proactive steps through motions and bills to strengthen and reorganize the sector.