The President, Miners Association of Nigeria, Mr Dele Ayanleke, has identified porous borders and weak law enforcement among key factors driving illegal exploitation and export of Nigeria’s solid minerals.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, Ayanleke also identified inadequate knowledge of mineral resources among border security officials as one of factors.
He said that involvement of foreign collaborators was limiting the sector’s potential for growth.
Ayanleke called for stronger border security and regulatory measures to tackle the challenge.
He stressed that a secure environment was critical for economic activities to thrive, noting that persistent insecurity had negatively affected livelihoods and all sectors of the economy.
Ayanleke said that increasing insecurity and illegal mining activities were discouraging investments in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector and slowing its growth.
According to him, Nigeria’s mining industry requires substantial investments to transit from its current small-scale operations to large-scale exploration and commercial exploitation.
He said that both local and foreign investors were unlikely to commit funds to the sector if security of lives and investments could not be guaranteed.
He also expressed concern over activities of illegal miners, particularly in areas with significant deposits of critical minerals.
“Illegal mining, whether driven by organised criminal activities or deliberate disregard for mining regulations, has continued to deprive government of revenue while undermining environmentally-sustainable mining practices,” he said.
Ayanleke added that those involved in illegal mining evaded statutory payments and remained largely outside the regulatory framework.
Ayanleke urged the Federal Government to strengthen security, improve law enforcement and tackle illegal mining to unlock the full potential of Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
