By Daniel Edu
The Federal Government, represented by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, has issued a stern warning to foreign entities involved in sponsoring banditry to facilitate illegal mining activities within the country. This warning comes as a response to concerns about the negative impacts of such activities on Nigeria’s mining sector and national security.
The Ministry’s Head of Press & Public Relations, Alaba Balogun, conveyed this message in a statement released on Friday. The statement highlighted a meeting between the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Oladele Alake, and a delegation from the Nigeria-China Chamber of Mines, led by its National President, Dr. Olugbenga Ajala, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
During the meeting, Minister Alake was quoted as saying, “The government will come down firmly on these unscrupulous foreign operators sponsoring banditry to perpetrate illegal mining: let me use this medium to appeal through you to tell those sponsors to desist or face the full wrath of the law.”
The Minister emphasized the government’s commitment to establishing a multi-agency task force aimed at curbing the activities of illegal miners and their collaborators. Furthermore, he reiterated that the government had granted illegal miners a 30-day grace period to formalize their operations and become legitimate. This move is intended to help regulate and structure small-scale artisanal mining operations for the benefit of the Federal Government and the industry as a whole.
