Nigeria Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, don tok say goment sabi say some powerful individuals dey behind illegal mining and insecurity for di kontri, but dem no fit call dia names.
Oga Alake tok say as dem never catch di criminals redhanded, charge dem go court, and court pronounce dem guilty, goment no fit call out anybody name, to avoid being sued for libel.
“But e sure me wella say these pipo we dey behind illegal mining, na powerful individuals dem be,” e tok for exclusive interview.
“Tori plenty about how these people dey take private jets and helicopters dey smuggle solid minerals dey comot for Nigeria. Ordinary person fit get private jet abi helicopter?”
For September dis year, President Bola Tinubu bin tok for United Nations General Assembly say foreign entities dey collabo wit local criminals “to illegally mine gold and oda resources for Nigeria”.
Billions of dollars wey we suppose take improve di nation, na im dey fuel violent enterprises now. If we leave am unchecked, dem go threaten peace and place national security at grave risk,” President Tinubu bin tok.
Dele Alake gree wetin Tinubu tok say “insecurity for Northern Nigeria dey largely driven by illegal mining”.
E tok say: “Wetin dey happen be say, these criminal elites go buy gun give to some local criminals, dem go invade a community, shoot gun, maybe kill one or two pipo, and the pipo for dat community go run comot, den di criminals go enta and start to dig.”
To tackle dis, oga Alake tok say im ministry don join bodi wit ministries of interior and defence, and dem don set up a new security outfit wey dia work go be to tackle illegal mining. “We go soon announce dis new outfit,” e tok.
Goment dey also introduce modern technology and artificial intelligence to dey monitor illegal mining activities “even as I sit here from my office, I go dey see everything wey dey happen for mining sites across Nigeria”.
In 2021, former minister of solid minerals development, oga Uche Ogah, bon tok during one senate hearing say Nigeria dey lose over $9billion annually sake of illegal gold mining, but Alake tell BBC News Pidgin say di current administration dey aim to position solid minerals make e dey generate beta money, even pass oil.
“We don begin work to establish di Nigeria solid minerals corporation, wey go dey coordinate di solid minerals sector and e go dey hold equity on behalf of Nigeria. Dis one go stop di cheating wey some foreign investors dey cheat Nigeria, dey carry our solid minerals without paying better money,” Alake tok.
E further explain say small exploration wey goment do reveal say Nigeria get about 44 solid minerals for commercial quantity, but for inside dis 44, “we get seven of dem wey we dey call ‘priority minerals’, wey we dey focus on well”.
These include gold, lithium, barite, cobalt, limestone, bitumen, iron-ore, and even coal.
According to one United Nations report for 2022, 30% of di mineral resources wey dey di world na for Africa e dey, and for Africa, Nigeria na di second kontri wey dey make di most money from mineral resources, after South Africa.
However, for revenue from solid minerals, Nigeria dey rank lower dan many Africa kontris including Ghana, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and even Ivory coast.
Nigeria get plenty gold deposits for Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano and Osun States.
Lithium plenty for Nassarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Ekiti, and Cross River States; Enugu state na coal e dey known for, while states like Adamawa, Gombe, Benue, Taraba and Ebonyi dey rich wit barite.
“E no get any state for Nigeria wey no get one solid mineral or anoda.”
“And na im make goment dey confident say, as e be like say petroleum don dey gradually phase out, solid minerals fit dey give Nigeria money even pass oil,” oga Alake tok.
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