Illegal Mining is Not the Cause of Banditry and Kidnapping in Oyo State: a response to Kazeem Akintunde
By Mohammed Abubakar HassanI read with concern the article by my brother, Mr. Kazeem Akintunde linking the current insecurity, banditry, and kidnapping in parts of the country to illegal mining, citing the recent happenings in Oyo State.With respect, this narrative is misleading and unfairly vilifies the mining sector.1. *No connection established*: The kidnappers in Oyo made their demands known...
FG Arrests Two Illegal Miners, Seals Osun Gold Mining Site
*Photo: Dr Dele Alake, Minister of Solid Minerals Development* The Federal Government has arrested two suspected illegal miners during a coordinated enforcement operation that led to the closure of an illegal mining site in Osun State. The suspects, Danladi Isa and Musa Kabiru, both in their twenties, are casual workers. Both are giving useful information that would help investigators fish out their...
Illegal Mining As Fuel For Kidnapping In Nigeria
By Kazeem Akintunde When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came into power three years ago, he shocked many Nigerians by appointing one of his trusted aides, Dele Alake, as Minister of Solid Minerals Development. Alake was a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Lagos state under Tinubu between 1999 and 2007. Alake’s background as a top Information Manager and former Newspaper...
Burkina Faso state-owned gold miner gets official nod for Bouboulou project
Burkina Faso has awarded an industrial mining permit to state-owned miner SOPAMIB for the Bouboulou gold project, according to a statement, advancing the military-led government’s push for greater state control of the mining sector. Military-led governments across the Sahel and in neighbouring Guinea have increasingly favoured state-owned mining companies as they seek larger returns from their mineral wealth. SOPAMIB, Burkina Faso’s...
Zamfara governor commissions $200m ZAM Lithium Processing Plant with eye on 2,000 local jobs, value addition
In another victory for the Federal Government's mining sector reform agenda, Zamfara State Governor, Dr Dauda Lawal has commissioned a multi-billion-naira lithium mining and processing plant located in Boko village, within the Moriki Emirate of Kaura Namonda Local Government Area. The state-of-the-art facility, which represents an investment of over $200m, marks a historic turning point in the state's quest...
Nasarawa Poly upgraded to Mining and Tech University
President Bola Tinubu has signed off on turning the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa into a full-fledged specialised university.The institution will now be known as the Federal University of Mining, Engineering and Technology, Nasarawa. The announcement was made on Friday in a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The move follows a proposal by Senator Ahmed Aliyu...
SMDF boss forecasts N30tr mining sector by 2030, calls for greater govt-academia-industry partnership
L-r:: President of the Physical and Earth Sciences Students’ Association (PESSA), University of Lagos (UNILAG), Mr. Ogunwoolu Olalabi; Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola; Executive Secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF), Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi; and Dean, Faculty of Physical and Earth Sciences, University of Lagos, Professor Olayinka Asekun, during the Maiden Annual Lecture Series of the...
South West Development Commission and the Challenge of Illegal Mining in Southwest Nigeria
*Dr. Charles Akindiji Akinola, MD/CEO of South West Development Commission* Nigeria’s South West region, comprising Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo states, is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, agricultural potential, and emerging economic dynamism. However, beneath its surface lies a growing crisis: rampant illegal (artisanal and small-scale) mining, which threatens the environment, security, livelihoods, and sustainable development. The recently established...
Ondo Governor felicitates MD/CEO of South West Development Commission at 70
*Dr. Charles Akindiji Akinola* Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has congratulated Dr. Charles Akindiji Akinola, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the South West Development Commission SWDC, on his 70th birthday. In a goodwill message, Governor Aiyedatiwa described Dr. Akinola as a visionary leader and development strategist whose commitment to inclusive growth is beginning to drive development in the...
Osun Governor Tackles Banditry in Mining Sector, Sets up Mining Community Intelligence Architecture
"If we do not act now, the peace Osun is known for will be sacrificed on the altar of gold” *Photo: Governor Ademola Adeleke* Governor Ademola Adeleke has taken steps to tackle increasing security challenges within the Osun mining sector, conveying a stakeholders’ conference to develop security architecture and curtail inflow of suspected bandits into Osun mining sector.. Addressing the stakeholders involving...
