The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has issued a 30-day ultimatum to illegal miners, requiring them to join a miners’ cooperative or face legal consequences. This announcement was made during the unveiling of the ‘Agenda for the Transformation of the Solid Minerals for International Competitiveness and Domestic Prosperity’ in Abuja.
The Minister revealed that starting in October, a specialized mines police force from the Nigerian Police would arrest illegal miners as part of a security task force initiative to combat illegal mining and smuggling nationwide. After the grace period, anyone found on a mining site without a valid status will be subject to legal action.
Additionally, the Minister outlined a seven-point agenda, including the establishment of the Nigerian Solid Minerals Corporation, joint ventures with mining multinationals, collecting big data on seven priority minerals, providing a 30-day grace period for illegal miners to join cooperatives, implementing a Mines Surveillance Task Force and Mine Police, conducting a comprehensive review of all mining licenses, and establishing six Mineral Processing Centers to focus on value-added products.
He said that this effort aims to harness Nigeria’s vast mineral resources and attract foreign investments in the sector.
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