By Comfort Olayinka
The Senate has recommended a significant increase in the capital budget of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, from the initial ₦9 billion proposed by the executive to ₦539 billion.
This decision was made to harness the potential of the solid minerals sector, which generated ₦37 billion in revenue last year despite receiving a modest allocation.
According to Sampson Ekong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, the increased budget is still modest compared to what other countries invest in similar sectors. However, it is a step in the right direction.
The decision was reached after several engagements with the Minister of Budget and other stakeholders.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, emphasized that funding alone would not yield results unless the issue of illegal mining was decisively addressed.
He alleged that retired military generals and other powerful individuals were behind the illegal mining operations, which deprive the nation of significant revenue. Oshiomhole called for the deployment of security forces to combat illegal mining, similar to the measures used against illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta.
Oshiomhole’s position was unanimously supported by the panel, which called on security agencies to address the issue as part of the broader economic diversification agenda. Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP) also advocated for a significant increase in the ministry’s budget to enhance its capacity to regulate the sector effectively.
We must apply the same ruthless approach to illegal mining as we do to illegal oil bunkering. It is unacceptable to use different standards,” he said.
Highlighting the extent of the problem, Oshiomhole accused the illegal operators of arming their workers and using helicopters to transport gold out of the country, making billions of dollars in the process.
He said, “Whereas the federal government is ruthless with people who are doing illegal oil bunkering by deploying the Joint Military Task Force to deal with them when it comes to illegal mining of solid minerals, the federal government changes. It’s like using different standards and I am very angry about that.
“If we have to fight this menace, we need to deploy the Army even to kill anyone who is involved in the illegal pumping of oil. We should also deploy JTFs, comprising the Army, Police, Air Force, against them.
“The ongoing illegal mining across the country is being carried out by retired generals and we know them.
“Yes, we know them. Nobody in Africa doesn’t know them. I wrote a letter to former President Muhammadu Buhari on the matter when he was in office.
“This is because a team that I sent to go and conduct the primary somewhere, reported back to me, the challenge of conducting primary elections in Zamfara because of the illegal miners.
“The team told me that those illegal miners procure arms the same way the military is doing in South Sudan.
“They give them arms. They use choppers to come and cart away the gold and they take them out of this country and make billions of U.S. dollars.”
He explained further, “Unfortunately, the federal government is not doing what it should be doing. I took this letter to the former president, when I was the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress and I said, call the general to give you more briefing.
“In fact, what is happening or what is supposed to happen in that part of the country was exactly what the general told me was going to happen.
“These guys have been weaponised by the illegal big men who deployed a secure territory. The weaponry was made to protect the Chinese and other foreigners and that’s why they actually are going to carry out the mining.
“So, the retired military officers, army officers, are involved in it.”
The lawmaker noted, “The day we can’t tell the truth, this country cannot flourish. That is what is going on with the mining sub-sector. It is not that we don’t know where it is. We have a whole survey of where we can find them across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“Even as we are talking now, they are still those illegal miners and those guys are getting richer when they get poorer.
“Who can afford to buy the chopper, land in an illegal mining site, cart away gold, and immediately, are on the way to the airport, to take them out of the country? This is happening.
“My position is that we shouldn’t be lamenting. We should fix the problem. We should tell the executive, you must deploy exactly the same force that you deployed against illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta.”
“That same force should be deployed to deal with criminals who have money. When I say criminal, it can be a retired general, it can be a retired permanent secretary, it can be a retired trade unionist or a retired labour leader,” he noted.
The Senator of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Ireti Kingibe (LP) also advocated for a significant increase in the ministry’s budget to enhance its capacity to regulate the sector effectively.
She said, “It was agreed by everyone in the joint committee that the appropriations be rejected and reviewed upwards as well.
“So we held several meetings with the Minister for Budget and I think there were assurances that given the critical needs of the solid minerals, there would be an improvement if more money was channeled to it.
“This is given the fact that from the little vote the ministry had last year, they were able to ramp up revenue for the country to about $37 billion.
“When we met again with the Minister of Budget and other stakeholders, it was canvassed that the appropriations be reviewed to N539 billion for capital expenditure. This is even paltry compared to what other economies are injecting to drive the sector.”
