On Solid Mineral deposits in the North

The northern political establishment must come out with the truth, and nothing but the whole truth, about the solid minerals – gold, lithium, uranium etc – being illegally mined up north in collaboration with foreign interests. It is at the core of the insecurity in the north. It is the reason Boko Haram is still existing; it is the major source of funding for the terrorist group.

That these solid minerals are extracted illegally without the proceeds going to the country is not acceptable, and it cannot be allowed to continue.

Crude oil deposits in the south are explored, exploited and extracted through legitimate establishments and proceeds go direct to the national treasury (well, until fairly recently when mismanagement set in, thus, precipitating all kinds of illegality, and insecurity, in the south-south). There is no reason solid minerals in the north should not be mined legally through appropriate government agencies. If there is need for private sector participation, let us put in place a framework for it. To allow our mineral resources to be frittered away illegally is not acceptable.

I do hope the new Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has the capacity to tackle this, and President Tinubu the political will to reverse this trend. Over $9 billion worth of solid minerals is estimated to be illegally taken out of Nigeria annually. That is a tidy sum. It has got to stop!