EXPERTS LINK IT TO INSECURITY, CALL FOR DRASTIC MEASURES FROM THE GOVERNMENT
Despite the rich endowment of mineral resources, including oil, natural gas, coal, tin, iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, and others, Nigeria lags with 0.2% of its Gross Domestic Product, GDP, compared to the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, 14%, Ghana, 14%, Australia, 10%, and India, 3%, Bureau of Statistics reports in 2022.
The report also reveals that the country’s mining sector contributes only 15%, with agriculture, at 27%, and Oil and Gas at 0.23% the same year.
This, however, was not the case in the late 1940s, when Nigeria became a major exporter of coal, tin, and Columbite, before the discovery of oil in 1956 which practically tapered with the progress and growth earlier achieved in the solid mineral.
It prompted neglect of the mining sector, owing to the quest for a quicker source of revenue, without minding its high demand in the global market.
However, this could be attributed to the hike in terrorism, kidnapping, and banditry currently witnessed as Nigeria became a beam of light for the global community knowing the worth of the minerals, to producing different goods and services, which prominently birthed illegal mining after independence in 1960.
Although the government had made strides to revive the sector due to the Economic downturn of the 1980s, it still hasn’t been able to fully harness it to better the lives of its citizens for global competitiveness.
The need to change the narrative brought about this training of Journalists on Mining and Host Community Rights in Nigeria, to help set an agenda for the government to boost economic activities in the country.
At the training, a facilitator, Tsema Ede said mining in Nigeria is linked to insecurity, adding that Gold mining in the North West region has constantly fueled community violence, political, and governance conflicts
She argued that most of these banditries are orchestrated by ownership and control and called for partnership between the federal government, states, and law enforcement agencies as well as, a review of the Mining Act to surmount security threats in the country.
