Okechukwu Nnodim, Abuja

Niger State is the leading destination for illegal mining of solid minerals in Nigeria, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative announced on Thursday.

NEITI further stated that five other states including Plateau, Ebonyi, Imo, Enugu and Zamfara were among the leading destinations for illegal mining activities across the country.

The agency disclosed this in its latest report on improving transparency and governance for value optimisation in Nigeria’s mining sector.

It said out of the six states at the top of the illegal mining list, Niger had more illegal miners, with 10 illegal mining sites, adding that minerals such as gold, lead, zinc and tantalite were consistently mined illegally from the identified sites.

NEITI said Plateau State was next on the list with seven illegal mining sites found to be taking away tin, columbite, barites and zinc.

The agency went on to state that Ebonyi and Imo had five illegal mining sites, while Enugu and Zamfara had four sites from where lateritic soil, lead, zinc and gold were illegally taken.

The report also stated that there were no globally recognised mining major or minor companies in Nigeria’s mining industry, adding that international firms often shunned Nigeria’s mining sector because it currently does not look attractive to them.

It added that the sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product had dwindled from about five per cent that it was in the 1960s and 1970s, to a mere 0.5 per cent at the moment.

NEITI said there were still obvious shortfalls especially with regards to governance and transparency in the mining sector despite the recent efforts of the Federal Government to revive the industry.

On revenue generation from the extractive industries between 2007 and 2016, a period of 10 years, the report stated that while the country’s oil and gas sector yielded to it $474bn, the solid minerals sector provided only $1.777bn.

It, however, noted that if the country was able to adequately harness up to 54 different minerals found across its states, the minerals could contribute to Nigeria’s national stock of foreign exchange and increase the country’s wealth.

Source: https://punchng.com/illegal-mining-highest-in-niger-five-other-states/amp/

I wonder if people will consider this propaganda when NEITI list where tye illegal mines are and whats being taken. Anyone that disagress should nanes the ststes and listed where illegal mines are what's being taken.

Hallelujah!! The north has something to feed it's people with, now can you northerners tell Buhari to restructure this country so every region can manage their resources and grow at their own pace?

I never knew that that the North have such great quantity of gold deposits. If not for the gang wars and killings in Zamfara, we wouldn't know that they have been enjoying their own mineral resources alone, without bringing it to the table so that everyone will have a share as it is done concerning the crude oil from the south

But once we wey get the oil for our backyard go drill am.
Federal government will lock u up and the security operatives won't even mind shooting you and they up they in the north doing freely as they like with their natural resources.

What of illegal mining of our foreign reserves? Shey that one no follow?.

They claim illegal mining is the cause of the frequent attacks in.Zamfara so they are trying to justify it by this list.

Me: so why haven't we been hearing of similar attacks in Niger state that has the highest illegal mines or any of the other top states

ScarceTortilla:
What makes it illegal

The non-involvement of the recognized government agency

IHopefully, things would start improving in this country. By joining hands together, we will move the country forward.

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Latidoh1:
What of illegal mining of our foreign reserves? Shey that one no follow?.

Meanwhile those who illegally "mine" crude oil have their local refineries blown to smithereens.

They should also send the army to these sites in the north and arrest all illegal miners. Use dynamites to close the sites.

Gold in tunga really

Imagine the massive boost in economy
if all those golds are being secured and converted into National gold reserve

Ihiala in Imo state??
Issorite!

I am just laughing at people calling it "Illegal Mining" and talking about how much it would "boost" the economy if the government is in charge .
Don't wallow in self-deceit, such activity cannot take place without powerful politicians backing them.

Support my hustle, check my signature .

The minerals in the south is for the entire Nigeria, the minerals in the north is for the northerners alone

Blue3k2:


Source: https://punchng.com/illegal-mining-highest-in-niger-five-other-states/amp/

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]What is wrong with the North? So the South East illegally mines sand and soil? like sand and soil, Mined illegally?
Afonja news

NEITI or whatever you call yourself , can you define what illegal mining is, you think this is what you guys did with crude oil. A poor farmer finds mineral deposit in his farm, he want to mine and you are asking him to come and

1. Register a limited liability company with CAC at the tune of N100,000
2. Tax clearance with FIRS at N600,000
3. Minining license at N800,000

Where will the get this kind of money from, you only encourage the poor to get poorer and the rich to get richer.

I went to town out of the village few days ago and I received a call that an Indian man is in my farm site , he has come to mines iron ore. An Indian man disappeared from India and landed in a remote village in south south, how did he know there are iron ore there. Our leaders are bad, the will sell your area before consulting you. I have ask them to tell the Indian man to go back to where he Mae from

emyrald91:


What is wrong with the North? [b]So the South East illegally mines sand and soil? like sand and oil, Mined illegally? [/b][font=Lucida Sans Unicode]
Afonja news

Lol you hypocrites are funny. Illegal mining is ok when you do it. We understand you want to steal now just do it without the moral grandstanding.

Auxtin85:
The minerals in the south is for the entire Nigeria, the minerals in the north is for the northerners alone

Solid mineral revenue is shared stop being ignorant.

Lilimax:
Ihiala in Imo state??
Issorite!

What are they mining in Ihiala?

I have always been interested in this mining.

Blue3k2:


Lol you hypocrites are funny. illegal mining is ok when you do it. We understand yiu want to steal now just do it without the moral grandstanding.

So Northern sand is mined by the government abi? Tell me any state that manages sand mining as a government activity? The sand from lagoon, who mine it, FG I guess? the rocks in Kogi and every other northern state? So that one isn't illegal abi? Which Budget have you ever seen that hopes to generate revenue from the sand mined in the North or South Waste When it's in the south East or South South its national property, but else where especially in the North it belongs to clans. Wait for you next level....




Bia Seun, I Wrote Waste, you changed it to West... If you try that again...

emyrald91:

So Northern sand is mined by the government abi? Tell me any state that manages sand mining as a government activity? The sand from lagoon, who mine it, FG I guess? the rocks in Kogi and every other northern state? So that one isn't illegal abi? Which Budget have you ever seen that hopes to generate revenue from the sand mined in the North or South West When it's in the south East or South South its national property, but else where especially in the North it belongs to clans. Wait for you next level....

Instead of being ignorant why not look up NBS stats. All the legal mining data is available to you. Mining is done by private companies in nigeria. Again you're ignorant hypocrites mineral revenue is shared. Why you clowns pontificate on topics you know nothing about is a mystery.

Blue3k2:


Lol you hypocrites are funny. illegal mining is ok when you do it. We understand yiu want to steal now just do it without the moral grandstanding.



Solid mineral revenue is shared stop being ignorant.

Bleep off you fool how is the mineral revenue from the north shared? Shared between who and who

Auxtin85:


Bleep off you fool how is the mineral revenue from the north shared? Shared between who and who

Lol another ignorant clown pontificating about topics you know nothing about. Its shared like anything else. All the information is publicly available just look it up.

A striking feature of the report was that the sum of₦9.923 billion was shared by the three tiers of government in 2016, being the accumulated revenues from 2007 to 2014 from the solid minerals sector.

A breakdown of the figure shows that the Federal Government got N4.547 billion while states and local governments shared N2.306 billion and N1.778 billion respectively. The sum of N1.289 billion was also shared as derivation.

Further breakdown shows that Ogun State received the highest share of N369.84 million while Kogi and Cross River states received N317.66 million and N237.10 million respectively.

Other states among the top five recipients are Kano and Oyo states which received N208.83 million and 200.45 million respectively while Ekiti and Bayelsa got the lowest share of N91.25 million and N76.66 respectively.

Lol
So they had to add Sand too? I rushed to see if I will see Gold, Silver among the minerals mined in Imo, disappointed to see Sand

Red sand republic...

Nigeria my country you are so rich but your people are so poor.Only God can save your people from wasteful and corrupt leaders.

Punch Newspapers are insane for Listing South East.

We are blessed in all these and yet government kept and continued witholding them from us.
They say there is no money, no resources, no jobs in the country but here they and they are been stolen because we don't how we can use them to empower us. Opportunist will empower themselves with it.
Imagine the unemployment that would been solved if we have utilized them efficiently.