The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has urged the Federal Government to declare illegal mining a criminal offence.
   
The Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor, said this while unveiling its latest report, ‘Silent Conquest: The Chinese Infiltration of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector’, stating that illegal mining is economic sabotage; hence, the need to criminalise it.
 
Jakpor said the report was influenced by the organisation’s work in host communities across Nigeria where solid mineral is mined.
 
“From Nasarawa to Zamfara, Niger, Kwara, Ogun and Abia to Akwa Ibom, the story is the same. Not only has the sector been captured, the players are not ready to play by the rules,” Jakpor said.
 
The ED had, in his welcome remarks, noted that the report “reminds us that Nigeria’s solid minerals sector holds as much potentials as oil and gas”, and that when transparently harnessed and managed, could bring prosperity to the local communities and the nation at large.
 
While foreigners illegally exploit the country’s minerals, the citizens remain helpless, relying only on the activities of some agencies of government like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in checkmating unlicensed and illegal mining. 
 
Jakpor added that the EFCC had been very proactive and had its hands full with arrests, prosecutions and arraignments of illegal Chinese miners and their local collaborators.  
 
For him, the recent proposal by governors of northern Nigeria to ban mining for six months to checkmate terrorism financing should set well-meaning Nigerians thinking.   
 
Civil society groups who were in support of the report sent solidarity messages during the launch. They include Centre for Transparency Advocacy, represented by Faith Nwadishi; Anthony Akpan of Pan African Vision for the Environment; Chima Williams of Environmental Defenders Network; Francis Abayomi Francis of Peace and Development Project; Ubrei-Joe Mariere of Community Development Advocacy Foundation and Gbenga Komolafe of Federation of Informal Workers of Nigeria.