Uche Ogah: Illegal miners conniving with security officers

15 Sep Uche Ogah: Illegal miners conniving with security officers

Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Uche Ogah, has said that illegal miners connive with security officers to carry out their illegal activities.

Speaking at a two-day public hearing organised by the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals, Mines, Steel Development and Metallurgy, he listed lack of adequate manpower and low level technology for the ministry as other challenges faced by the government.

The hearing is aimed at investigating the loss of $9 billion annually due to illegal mining and smuggling of gold.

The Senate had in December 2020, mandated the panel to probe the loss of N9 billion annually as reported by the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

The mandate was sequel to the consideration of a motion on illegal mining and smuggling of gold in the country brought by Abia senator, Orji Kalu.

In his presentation, the minister urged the committee to set up a panel or have authorised personnel like the EFCC or the police, to carry out the investigation.

While he emphasised the need to establish a regulatory framework to monitor mining activities, he informed the panel that smuggling of gold is mostly done using private jets hence the need to involve the aviation ministry.

The negative impacts of illegal mining include poverty, limited income generating opportunity, environmental degradation resulting in shallow ponds, infiltration and illegal migration, loss of revenue, poor mining method and unfavourable sales condition, he explained.

“Efforts of the government include formalisation of informal mining operations, sensitisation and campaign, strengthening zonal field offices.

“The challenges to curbing illegal mining are connivance of illegal miners with security officers, lack of adequate manpower, low level technology and invasion of mining communities,” he said.

Ogah called for improved funding for the ministry, provision of adequate logistics, equipment for fieldwork, training and retraining of mining engineers and resuscitation of the revenue generation committee of the ministry.