The Senate has raised concerns over the involvement of retired military generals in illegal mining activities across Nigeria, warning that such operations are undermining the country’s efforts at economic diversification.
During a presentation of his committee’s report to the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Sampson Ekong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, called for increased funding for the sector. The discussion was bolstered by remarks from Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior, who highlighted the severity of illegal mining and its impact on the economy.
Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, urged the federal government to treat illegal miners with the same intensity as those involved in oil bunkering in the Niger Delta region. He argued that decisive action was necessary to harness the sector’s potential.
“Whereas the federal government is ruthless with people who are doing illegal oil bunkering by deploying the Joint Military Task Force to deal with them, when it comes to illegal mining of solid minerals, the federal government changes. It’s like using different standards, and I am very angry about that,” he said.
Oshiomhole accused retired generals of orchestrating illegal mining activities. “The ongoing illegal mining across the country is being carried out by retired generals, and we know them. Yes, we know them. Nobody in Africa doesn’t know them,” he claimed.
He revealed that illegal miners operate with sophisticated weaponry and logistical support, likening their methods to arms smuggling operations in South Sudan. “They give them arms. They use choppers to come and cart away the gold, and they take them out of this country and make billions of U.S. dollars,” he said.
The Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development proposed a budget increase for the Ministry of Solid Minerals from N9 billion to N539 billion in the 2025 Appropriation Bill. Senator Ekong argued that the current allocation was insufficient to tap the sector’s vast potential.
“From the little vote the ministry had last year, they were able to ramp up revenue for the country to about $37 billion. This shows that more funding can significantly boost revenue generation,” Ekong said.
Meanwhile, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Army, called for the removal of the military and security institutions from the envelope budgeting system to address their funding shortfalls.
“The Army is undergoing tremendous transformation from five to eight divisions today, in line with the Nigerian Army order of 2023. However, there is a shortfall in overhead costs and capital appropriation,” Yar’Adua said.
He detailed the Army’s expanded structure, including new commands such as the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command and Special Forces School, which aim to strengthen national security.
The Army’s budgetary shortfall for 2025 includes N16 billion for overhead costs and N664 billion for capital expenditures, according to Yar’Adua’s presentation.
The Senate committee agreed with Oshiomhole’s recommendations and urged security agencies to tackle illegal mining aggressively. They emphasised that addressing the issue was critical for diversifying the economy and boosting Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
Oshiomhole concluded, “My position is that we shouldn’t be lamenting. We should fix the problem. The same force used to combat illegal oil bunkering should be deployed against illegal miners, regardless of their status, whether retired generals or others.”
