By Shakirudeen Bankole
Q: From law, to community and women development advocacy, how do you explain your transitio into Mining?
A: Interestingly, I am a prospective miner, to be honest. I was at the Mininstry (of Solid Mineral Development) recently, to commence the procedures toowards getting mining license in the country. The process earned me an invite into the Nigeria Mining Week.
Q: From what you have seen so far, what can you say about efforts to ensure an enabling environment for investors?
A: Honestly speaking, the Mining Week was an eye-opening one. I have been so far impressed about the sincerity of purpose on the part of the government, particularly, the Minister’s continued efforts to introduce policies and galvanise stakeholders to ensure the sector attains its full potentials.
I am impressed about the sense of organization of the event, the quality of discussion and the presence of all the important stakeholders in the sector. An international event can not be better than this. It is very attractive how the event is put together. Also, talking about the policies, which Dr. Dele Alake, the Minister, has been rolling out, I would say they are assurances that have caught the attention and interest of someone like me in seeking a mining operational license.
I see the establishment of the Mining Marshal, the special taskforce constituted to fight illegal mining, as one of the most assuring efforts, in preserving and protecting the interests of investors. No doubt, this would curb theft, illegality, and manipulations in the sector. Besides, there is accountability in the system. There is auditing in place. And there are different layers of checks and balances in the sector. This is unlike before where you can just pick a location, once there is mineral resources available there, and start activities, thereby becoming an illegal miner. I believe this menace is being eradicated as we speak now.
On the other hand, I also believe the state security measures like Amotekun in the Southwest, and other initiatives at other regions, are also consolidating this federal efforts to ensure safety and security of investment and protection of rights and wellbeing of the community people and the environment.
A: How did your journey towards becoming a miner start?
B: So, I am very excited about the fact that I am going to be a miner very soon. I think about four years ago, we found something (a mineral resource) on my Dad’s farm in Ekiti State. But we did not know what the mineral was at the time. But sometime last month (September 2025), I went visiting again. And I just realized and told my dad, why can’t we get a mining license first and see if we can explore what we found on his farm? And he agreed. And that is why I am actually here, participating at the Nigeria’s most important convergence for stakeholders in the Mining Sector, with the support of the Ministry.
Q: Besides what you found on your dad’s farm, what part of the mining value chain are you interested in – is it in mineral exploration, value addition or training?
A: As I said initially, I run an NGO. So, under my care center, we have orphans, widows and even ex commercial sex workers. Under the skills acquisition department, we have orphans that learn skills like Beads Making, Soap Making, etc, I think I have come to the right place that I can explore and probably get Corral Beads, Emerald and other gemstones. This would be helpful to empower them before pushing them back to the society. Empowering them with skills and tools of a new trade is one of the reasons why I am here. This would mean that I don’t need buying these precious items from other vendors since I have people that are already trained and become experts. If I am an explorer and miner myself, we are all going to work together to take over the market. That’s the logic.
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