- The minister of solid minerals, Dele Alake, on Tuesday, December 12, claimed that some “powerful Nigerians” allegedly involved in illegal mining are sponsoring banditry and terrorism in the country
- Legit.ng reports that Alake stated this when he appeared before federal lawmakers for his ministry’s 2024 budget defence in Abuja, the nation’s capital
- Alake also called on relevant stakeholders in the country to pay close attention to the mining sector which he said is capable of raking in trillions for the country annually
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9-year-experience covering public journalism and security affairs
FCT, Abuja – Dele Alake, minister of solid minerals, has alleged that “powerful Nigerians” behind illegal mining are also the ones sponsoring terrorism and banditry in the country.
As reported by This Day, Alake stated that the majority of the illegal miners are not foreigners, adding that the most disturbing aspect was that most of the foreigners engaged in illegal mining in the country had no proper immigration credentials.
Alake disclosed this on Tuesday, December 12, in Abuja when he appeared before the house of representatives committee on solid minerals for the defence of the 2024 budget.
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His words:
“Nigerians are those powerful people behind them; we are identifying them with both kynetic and non-kynetic means.
“We have encouraged those petty illegal miners to form cooperatives.”
Speaking further, the minister said for mining to generate the requisite revenue, there was a need to have a formal structure that the multinational could deal with — just like the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Vanguard newspaper reported.
He described the N29 billion allocated to the ministry as its budget for 2024 as a non-starter and sought the assistance of the lawmakers to ensure adequate funding for the sector.
Nigeria facing all aspects of insecurity – Tinubu
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Alake’s principal and mentor, President Bola Tinubu, lamented that Nigeria is currently facing a crisis triggered by mounting insecurity.
According to the former governor of Lagos, the country is experiencing kidnapping, banditry, and all other forms of social vices which are indices of crisis.
FG reveals stage of insecurity in Nigeria
Legit.ng also reported that the Nigerian government assured citizens that the worst phase of the insecurity is over.
The federal government also assured that the bandits and other criminals committing heinous crimes across regions of the country can only run but not hide.
Source: Legit.ng