Daud Olatunji
Niger State Governor, Umar Bago, has raised the alarm over the growing involvement of children in artisanal mining, saying some male pupils are abandoning junior secondary schools after being attracted by the money they make from mining.
Bago said the situation had become a major challenge for the state, warning that continued involvement of children in artisanal mining could have serious implications for education and the future workforce of the state.
The governor disclosed this while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme, where he described artisanal mining as a “menace” in Niger State.
His comments came against the backdrop of the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who were reportedly in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps following their arrest during operations in Minna.
The suspects were among scores of people arrested on September 15 and 16 around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate in the Niger State capital.
Following the deaths, the Federal Government suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant, Suberu Aniviye, and 23 other officers, while ordering an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Bago said a report attributed to the United Nations Children’s Fund had projected a severe decline in male school attendance in Shiroro and other local government areas if the trend continued.
According to him, the report projected that by 2027, there could be no male pupils in Junior Secondary School 2 in some affected communities because of their involvement in artisanal mining.
“We know that gold mining in Niger State has become habitual,” Bago said.
“The UNICEF report on Shiroro and other LGAs says by 2027, there will not be a single male child in Grade 8, that is JSS2, Grade 7, because all of them are into artisanal mining. They have left classrooms and are not in schools. This is a problem for us.”
The governor said the attraction of quick financial returns from mining was making it difficult to persuade some children and young people to return to school.
“But these people, because they have tested the mining money, cannot leave the site,” he said.
Bago said the state government was constrained in tackling the problem because security agencies are under federal control.
He therefore called for stronger intervention by the Federal Government, including restrictions on mining in locations where the activity had become particularly problematic.
“We need decisive action. We need an executive order from the presidency, from the Ministry of Mineral Resources, to ban mining in certain locations where we have seen they are problematic. Once that is done, it can be enforced,” he said.
The governor also expressed concern that communities historically known for agriculture were increasingly abandoning farming for artisanal mining.
He singled out Shiroro Local Government Area, saying residents who once depended heavily on agriculture were now devoting their time and energy to mining.
“The amount of energy they dissipate in this mining business, if they put half of it into farming, they will do better,” Bago said.
“Shiroro used to be one of the biggest local governments that was agrarian, but they have abandoned farming for mining. It’s a menace, and there must be deliberate action.”
Asked whether his administration would consider sanctions against parents who permit their children to stay away from school to engage in mining, Bago said the government would examine the issue.
“We are going to look at that because it’s a very tall order,” he said.
Bago further linked illegal mining to a wider network of economic activities, including logging and poaching, saying the scale of the problem was partly connected to Niger State’s vast landmass and mineral and forest resources.
“Mining, poaching and logging are serious businesses,” he said.
According to the governor, Niger State accounts for about 10 per cent of Nigeria’s landmass and has extensive forests and mineral resources that attract various economic activities.
“Niger State has the largest concentration of forests and trees in West Africa, and people are there doing logging,” he said.
“It’s not just about digging the ground. Even cutting trees, making charcoal, killing animals and selling their hides and woods — all these things are happening.”
Bago alleged that some foreign nationals were involved in financing or operating some of the activities.
“You have expatriates from other countries in our domain operating and funding these activities, and you are limited because you are constrained,” he said.
He claimed that security agencies were aware of some of the activities but faced limitations where foreign operators possessed licences.
“The military knows about it. The DSS knows about it. The police know about it. They are constrained because these expatriates have licences,” Bago said.
The governor also complained about the constitutional and operational limitations placed on state governors in dealing directly with security agencies.
“So it’s not about the governor. The governor is limited to only his cabinet. The governor is just a chief security officer of a state by mouth. It’s rhetorical. There’s no power. You can’t give any order,” he said.
The governor’s comments put the growing debate over artisanal mining in Niger State at the intersection of education, child welfare, agriculture, environmental protection, illegal economic activities and national security.
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