Experts have raised concerns over worsening environmental degradation across Nigeria, warning that irresponsible exploitation of natural resources is threatening the country’s ecological future and undermining sustainable development.

Speaking at the opening of the NEST Conference 2026 held at the Auditorium of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja, organised by the Nigerian Environmental Study/Action Team (NEST), the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Simon Ortuanya, said Nigeria’s mining sector holds significant potential for economic transformation but poses serious environmental and social risks if poorly managed.

Addressing the theme, “Mining for Economic Growth: Promoting Sustainable Environment and Conflict Management in Nigeria,” Ortuanya said mineral resource exploitation must be pursued in a manner that supports industrialisation, generates revenue, protects ecological integrity and preserves social stability.

He recommended stronger environmental regulation through increased funding for regulatory agencies, recruitment and training of inspectors, tougher sanctions for violations and strict enforcement of rehabilitation obligations by mining companies.

The UNN vice-chancellor also called for improved transparency and accountability in the mining sector through further development of the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office (NMCO) digital licensing system.

He urged the government to align mineral title administration processes with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) standards and strengthen public disclosure requirements.

Ortuanya further advocated the formalisation of artisanal mining through legal recognition, skills development and environmental compliance frameworks tailored to Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) operators.

Also speaking, Prof. Emmanuel Tembe of the Department of Forest Production and Products, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Benue State, called on the Federal Government to make environmental rights justiciable and allow citizens to seek legal redress over environmental violations.

He recommended mandatory environmental bonds for mining rehabilitation, the establishment of a Community Crisis Response Fund and enforcement of Health Impact Assessments alongside Environmental Impact Assessments.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of NEST, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, said the scale of environmental destruction across the country had reached a level where stakeholders could no longer remain indifferent.

He cited several examples of environmental damage linked to mining and resource extraction, including oil exploitation in the Niger Delta, abandoned tin mining sites in Jos, coal mining areas in Enugu, surface mining activities in Okaba and Odagbo, as well as bitumen exploration in Ondo State.

“The massive environmental desperation all over Nigeria due to acts that we cannot be indifferent to can be regarded as irresponsible,” he said.

Nwajiuba also highlighted the impact of gold mining activities in Nigeria’s Northwest and Northcentral regions, noting that mining operations had contributed to landscape degradation, insecurity and the abandonment of agricultural activities.

Besides large-scale mining, he drew attention to widespread artisanal soil mining, particularly in erosion-prone areas of the Southeast, warning that the environmental consequences were becoming increasingly severe.

He lamented that despite the extraction of valuable minerals, mining communities had not benefited significantly through increased national revenues or improved livelihoods.

According to him, many artisanal miners, including out-of-school youths, remain trapped in poverty despite operating in areas rich in mineral resources. “These mining activities of rare but expensive minerals continue but do not reflect in national revenues nor the huge poverty among these miners,” he said.

Nwajiuba described the challenges confronting Nigeria’s mining and environmental sectors as “multidimensional and deep,” attributing them partly to weak governance, inadequate legislation and ineffective enforcement mechanisms.

He challenged Nigerian intellectuals, researchers, academics, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to develop solutions to the country’s environmental challenges.

The Executive Director of NEST, Prof. Emmanuel Nzegbule, called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to address environmental, governance and security challenges associated with mining.

He said environmental issues require collective attention, stressing that neglecting any aspect of the ecosystem could lead to far-reaching and costly consequences.

Nzegbule explained that NEST deliberately shifted attention from the dominant climate change discourse to focus on mining because of the growing need to address the environmental and social implications of mineral exploitation.

He noted that while Nigeria is endowed with abundant solid mineral resources, efforts to diversify the economy through mining have also exposed the country to environmental degradation, security threats and community conflicts.