FG Give Marshals Strength To Crush Illegal Mining

Di Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, don assure Nigerians say di ongoing plan to boost di capacity of di Mining Marshals go help remove illegal miners from di country. Di minister yarn dis while e dey address participants of Course 34 of di Nigerian Defence College, Abuja, on di solid minerals value chain and how e dey affect economic growth. E talk say di Mining Marshals don deliver on dia mandate as enforcement agency for di sector, and di plan to upgrade dia vehicles, equipment, and weapons go allow dem expand operations to all 774 local governments, improve security for mines and miners, and fully tackle illegal mining. Di Special Assistant to di Minister on Media, Segun Tomori, confirm say since dem deploy di Marshals in 2023, dem don reclaim about 90 sites from illegal miners and bandits, prosecute over 300 offenders, and monitor 450 mining locations wey dey under threat from illegal operators.

Alake also appreciate di collaboration wey dey between di Mining Marshals and oda security agencies like di Nigerian Army and Police, wey dey help dem perform well. E yarn say di Seven-Point Agenda wey e introduce as minister don help add value to di sector, sanitise am, and block financial leakages. Di ministry revenue don rise from N6bn in 2022 to N26bn by October 2025, while over 3,700 titles don revoke for failing to pay fees or not mining according to di use-or-lose rule. Companies don dey warned to comply with Community Development Agreements and environmental obligations. Alake yarn say di Nigeria Solid Minerals Company go attract investors for joint ventures and position di sector for international competitiveness. Di Mining Marshals Initiative, launched in 2023 by di FG with NSCDC, dey form key part of President Bola Tinubu’s plan to diversify di economy beyond oil and protect licensed miners from economic sabotage.