Poor Gov’t funding responsible for Billions lost to illegal Mining – NMGS

By Ndifreke Enefiok, Uyo
The Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) has identified poor government funding, understaffed personnel, and ill-equipped federal mines offices as key contributors to the staggering loss the nation faces due to illegal mining.
The society made this revelation on Friday, June 21, at a press briefing to mark its 255th Council meeting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The professional body, formed on January 15, 1961, and comprising mining engineers, stated that the government’s failure to adequately fund the mining sector has led to a massive loss of revenue, amounting to billions yearly, alongside job losses and environmental devastation.
President of the society, Professor Olatunji Akinade, while briefing journalists, noted that aside from inadequate funding, the sector faces a plethora of problems such as poor staffing, ill-equipped federal mines offices, and quackery, which have made it difficult to monitor and regulate the activities of miners.
“Nigeria is a vast land, very huge, and most mining activities do not only take place in the city center but in remote areas with very few roads. To monitor all those places, you need qualified, motivated, energized, well-regulated personnel.
“Each state of the federation has what we call a federal mines officer, and each of these federal mines officers is supposed to be equipped with vehicles, personnel, and what we call sufficient running costs to do the job, but the reverse is the case. Most of the mine offices are poorly staffed. In fact, this is one of the biggest challenges we have been shouting about,” he stated.
He stressed that for the government to address illegal mining seriously, it needs to increase the staff strength of the mine inspectorate units and ensure they are adequately equipped.
“There are a lot of people who are well-trained, who are looking for this job, and who can be trained and posted to these federal mines offices to do the job. So the government must stop playing lip service to the idea of stopping illegal mining. They must be able to fund the appropriate office, which is the mining inspectorate office, to do the job and empower them,” Akinade added.
Akinade, who also called for better motivation and proper regulation of these officers, said, “You can’t ask somebody who is not properly paid to monitor a multi-millionaire business, and you want him to be truthful? That temptation is too high because those mine officers are also in charge of ensuring that the operators who are even operating legally pay the right royalty.”
The NMGS President proposed that federal mines officers should be placed on a separate, higher salary scale, similar to those in the Federal Inland Revenue Service, to reduce the temptation of corruption and encourage better work performance.
“When people are properly regulated, and they know that it is this regulation that will always turn back into their regulation, they will do the work properly,” he explained.
Akinade also proposed incorporating private sector oversight to enhance the monitoring and regulation of mining activities, stating, “A private sector player can come in. Even the society can work with the government in that regard. We have a need to protect. We have a pedigree. And you don’t even pay them. You pay them maybe 1% or 0.7% of whatever is collected. They will do the job very well.”
Addressing the misconception that illegal mining is more prevalent in certain states, Akinade clarified that it occurs nationwide, including in Abuja, the nation’s capital, stressing the need for serious government intervention.
Highlighting the derisory nature of the funding currently requested by the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, and comparing it to international standards, he said, “The projected budget of the United States Geological Service survey for 2025 is 1.8 billion US dollars, and our minister was asking for 20 billion Naira. We are not serious. You want to play in the big league, you have to be ready to think big.”
The NMGS President also highlighted the importance of geosciences in the country’s development, stressing the need for accurate and reliable data to inform decision-making in the mining sector.
While dismissing the popular belief that the drilling of boreholes contributes to earthquakes, Akinade explained that borehole drilling has no correlation with earthquakes and that the deepest boreholes, typically drilled in basements, only reach depths of 200-300 meters, and in sedimentary environments, 500-800 meters, noting that these holes are quickly filled with water, rendering them empty and having no impact on the earth’s deeper structures.
He, however, warned that indiscriminate pollution of boreholes can lead to environmental issues like subsidence, but not an increased likelihood of earthquakes, reiterating that focus must be placed on the responsible management of groundwater resources to prevent pollution and environmental degradation.
Expressing the society’s commitment to promoting best practices in the mining industry and resolving to take legal action against companies that engage in illegal mining activities or fail to use qualified professionals in their operations, he added, “As a society, we frown at illegal mining because, number one, it’s denying the nation of its revenue. It’s denying our people of jobs, and it’s also devastating our environment. If illegal mining is not curtailed, you will continue to see vast wastelands not useful for any other purpose.”
Meanwhile, Akinade, who gave insight into the 255th Council meeting, said it will serve as an ample opportunity for the society to review the progress made in the last quarter and outline solutions for the next quarter, vet and approve applications of new members, as well as engage in robust discussions and raise new initiatives aimed at driving the society’s objectives forward.