The Senate on Thursday raised the alarm that the nation was losing N4tn yearly to illegal mining.
The development came at a time that the nation was facing the challenges of a dwindling economy, following the sudden crash in the global oil price and other internal revenue leakages.
The Senate therefore mandated its Committee on Solid Minerals to holistically investigate the activities of illegal miners in the country with a view to proffering lasting solutions to the problem.
The Senate also directed the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, and other law enforcement agencies to live up to their responsibilities, particularly by arresting and prosecuting perpetrators of illegal mining in the country.
The upper chamber further urged the executive at the federal, state and the local government levels to take concrete steps towards ending illegal mining in Nigeria.
These resolutions were arrived at following a motion by Senator Duro Faseyi (Ekiti North), which he titled, “Illegal mining of the nation’s solid minerals.”
In his submission on the motion, Faseyi drew the attention of the Senate to the worrisome and unlawful plundering of the nation’s solid minerals sector by local and foreign illegal miners operating in the country.
He claimed that illegal mining had resulted in the nation’s loss of N8tn every two years, lamenting that this had impacted adversely on the economy.
The politician told the Senate that illegal mining was thriving in Nigeria as a result of weak legislations and poor enforcement, adding that the situation had jeopardised the urgent need to diversify the economy from oil to solid minerals sector.
Faseyi also explained that as a result of the progressive dwindling oil revenue, diversification of the economy had become imperative to shore up the nation’s earnings, boost the economy and create employment opportunities for the unemployed youths.
He also hinted the Red Chamber that illegal mining had resulted in the devastation and pollution of the environment, leading to the death of hundreds of Nigerians as several thousands of others infected with various ailments, especially in the rural areas.
The lawmaker observed that the government appeared to be helpless and lacking in strategy to tackle the problem which he described as a monumental economic sabotage.
Senator Lanre Tejuoso pointed out that the solid minerals sector was not as successful as the petroleum sector in terms of revenue generation because the Federal Government had the monopoly of returns from the sector, unlike the liberality enjoyed by the oil sector in terms of control of its revenue.
He therefore suggested that the Senate should make laws to empower state governments to have jurisdiction to control and harness solid minerals for more productive exploitation.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, noted that the federal, state and local governments were losing huge revenues, coupled with environmental pollution from illegal mining.
He urged the executive to do everything within its powers to tackle the problems to facilitate rapid national development.
Also on Thursday, the Senate summoned Arase over the incessant spate of kidnappings in different parts of the country.
The upper chamber condemned the menace and commiserated with those who had lost their loved ones to the incident.
The federal parliament also resolved to make frantic efforts to review the extant laws on kidnapping, with the intention to impose stiffer penalties on culprits.
It urged traditional institutions, religious authorities and Nigerians to be more vigilant and participate more actively in the security challenges facing the country.
The resolution was the aftermath of a motion moved by Senator Andy Uba (Anambra South), who drew the attention of the Senate to the prevalent crime in Nigeria.
He regretted that the crime had assumed dangerous dimensions, saying that it had spread to virtually all the parts of the country.
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