Correcting the wrongs of illegal mining towards healing Nigeria’s bleeding economy

The expression of dimensions of social decadence in broad terms have continued to form augmenting clutch which has been segmenting with the norms in the Nigerian society. As several dimensions of social ills continue to grow into pronounced phenomena, the definitions of what is right or otherwise in the societal formations of Nigeria is becoming nebulous. Hence, the strength of the definitions of the distinguishing lines between rights and wrongs are becoming closer, such that dichotomies between these sensibilities are assuming symmetrical dimensions. Following these social deformities, ethos of rights are gradually being reduced to idealistic positions considered as matters of choice in relative terms.

The expansive rooting of these dynamics have been manifesting not only in the architecture of social formations, but across economic, political, cultural and even religious formations, among other institutions of the society. Since the defects have assumed psychological dimensions which have shaped orientating perception informing social conduct as the impetus driving behaviour in present times, the exhibition of these conduct have continued to find expression across ramifications of societal formations in the Country.

The economy as an indispensable pillar of societal formations has not been spared from the decadence of defective orientations which over time have been waxing stronger to drive conduct and behaviour in the Country. In economic terms, these defective orientations have been creating strains clogging to affect business transactions within the architecture of the economy. Since decadence has been having its manifestations spreading with expansive tentacles, sharp practices in the Country have constituted strings of disturbances, pulling the economy backwards. These sharp practices are apparently observable across sectors of the economy. One of the sectors of the economy which has for years been suffering from the claws of sharp practices is the mining sector. The phenomenon of illegal mining is one subject which has been robbing the Country of accountable resources that are lost to illegal practices which has entangled the sector. While operations have been launched to hunt after perpetrators of the mischievous escapades, it is glaring that the achievements of such operations are incommensurate to sanitising the sector from the entanglements of the illegal escapades strangling the sector.

On Friday, it was reported that the Anti Illegal Mining Squad of the Police in Zamfara arrested and prosecuted 18 people engaged in illegal mining in spite of the presidential order banning the activity. The Police Public Relations Officer of the State’s command, SP Shehu Mohammed, in a statement on Friday in Gusau, disclosed that the anti illegal mining team led by SP Murtala Bello, was assigned by the force headquarters Abuja to enforce the presidential order banning illegal mining in the state. According to the statement, numerous exhibits were recovered, which includes; 504 bags of different chemicals used in refining gold, one Lexus Jeep, one Meter Director, one Professional Digital Table Top Scale and 14 bags of processing sand suspected to be gold. It was disclosed that the squad, which commenced operations since September 2020, had raided several illegal mining sites at different locations in the state and succeeded in arresting many notorious illegal miners.

The statement read partly:  “The recent operations conducted by the anti illegal mining team was at Yan Kaura mining site in Maru local government area where villagers from different parts of the state converged and embarked on illegal mining. The assigned squad mobilised and successfully dislodged the violators where 18 suspects were arrested. Discreet investigation was conducted after which all the suspects were charged to court and they are now in prison custody.”

Nigeria remains a home of mineral resources. The Country remains one of the nations highly blessed with natural resources of diverse sorts. Among the resources that inhabit Nigeria for home include gold,  columbite, wolframite, and tantalite, bitumen, iron-ore, uranium, gemstones, bentonite and baryte, limestone, rock-salt, lead/zinc, talc, gypsum, coal; to mention but a few. However, with all the potentials of the riches in the Country, it remains a paradox that the Country is among the poorest of the world. No thanks to the mediocrity and failure in the ability to convert the potentials into wealth for the entire nation. The neglect of other sectoral resources and the full concentration on oil have devastatingly led to a whooping neglect of non-oil sectors. The mining sector, with its great potentials to uplift the Country from underdevelopment, is pathetically a victim of neglect. This neglect has led to illegal encroachment of the resources in the mining sector by opportunists, who knowing the potentials of the sector, are gulping the benefits for personal aggrandizement.

Following the recent overarching invasion of the sector by local and foreign illegal miners, the Federal Government had recently disclosed its resolve to address the high rate of illegal gold mining and smuggling in the mining sector.

It is essential that the Government  moves beyond the status quo towards adopting effective policies backed with the necessary political drive to ensure sharp practices in the mining sector are tackled to zero level. Reports have shown how some influential Nigerians are, with impunity, conniving with foreigners to illegally defraud the nation of its resources. It is essential to state that, of utmost importance to the Nigerian Government, is the need to sanitise the mining sector and rid of mischievous individuals who are hell bent on cheating on all Nigerians by dubiously fetching for their personal selfish longings, mineral  resources meant for the commonwealth.

The Government should more importantly, consider very urgent, the need to make the mining sector operational. Building the sector for productivity is significant to escape from the acute economic downturn sniffing breath out of the Country. To foster a virile economy demands the simultaneous working of several sectors in a systemic link of effective and efficient productivity. Depending solely on oil has affected the Country too long, with stiff consequences on the economy. Placing priority on the need to build a virile mining sector will spur attention and the necessary coordination of investment in capitalising on the sector. The Country’s economy can only be resilient to shocks when there are multiple flows of revenue across various sectors. With this, the Government will be more buoyant and find it easier to fund more capital projects through internally generated revenue (IGR) substantially accruing from various sectors. Therefore, paying special attention to block such economic leakages exploited for personal aggrandizement against national good as experienced in the mining sector, is paramount to amend the bleeding state of the Nigerian economy.