Nigeria Loses 100kg of Gold Daily to Illegal Miners

Fri, Apr 8, 2016
By publisher
3 MIN READ

BREAKING NEWS, Business

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Nigeria is planning to use modern technology to stop the activities of illegal miners in the country

| By Anayo Ezugwu | Apr 18, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT |

NIGERIA is looking for a way to stop illegal miners from milking the country dry as a result of their illicit activities. About 100 kilogramme of gold leaves the country every day without any record, according to Kayode Fayemi, minister of solid minerals development. This is why Fayemi has challenged security agencies to come up with technology that could be deployed to track the use of explosives in mining sites. There is need to deploy technology, build capacity of staff of the ministry and get the required assistance from the security agencies to check the situation, he said.

As part of the efforts of the ministry to also educate security agents on how to identify these minerals, Fayemi said: “Many of them do not recognise these minerals. So, in most cases they do not know the value of what the person is taking out illegally. So we are partnering with security agencies, the customs, immigration, police and civil defence to assist us. Once we get the regulatory framework right and create a conducive environment for investment to thrive, we shall witness huge investment in the sector, create wealth and employment opportunities,” he said.

The minister who disclosed that part of his tasks as minister in-charge of solid minerals development is to sign explosives permits for use in quarries and mining sites, said it is important to also track their use as part of efforts to curtail activities of insurgent groups and violent crimes in the country.

Fayemi, who was a guest lecturer at the National Defence College, Abuja, said there should be a technological approach to tracking the use of explosives by those who sought and obtained permit for its use so that it does not end up in the hands of those who would use it for criminal purposes.

The minister also assured the gathering that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is committed to ensuring that the Ajaokuta Steel Company works, in order to boost the country’s technological development. “This will also help us in the areas of arms and ammunitions. And the defence industry will also benefit from this when we get it right.”

Fayemi, who spoke on “Solid Minerals and National Development in Nigeria”, lamented that the country was losing a lot to illegal mining activities, being carried out by some citizens aided by some foreigners. He said the ministry was collaborating with relevant security agencies to ensure that the ugly trend is stopped.

Fayemi last month stated that the federal government was targeting the solid minerals sector to account for 10 percent of the gross domestic product, GDP, in the nearest future. This aspiration informed the present administration’s efforts to reposition the solid minerals sector to diversify the country’s economy and create jobs through the sector.

The mining sector has witnessed extensive reforms since 1999, centring on the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007, with an improved computerised mineral title administration to ensure transparent transaction of online application to mineral titles.

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