National economic council targets illegal gold mining, expanding its oil theft committee to fight mineral smuggling and protect Nigeria’s revenue.

The National economic council has announced a nationwide crackdown on illegal gold miners as part of a wider effort to protect Nigeria’s natural resources and plug revenue leakages from the solid minerals sector.

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The move follows the Council’s decision to broaden the mandate of its Ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft Prevention and Control, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, to include illegal mining and mineral smuggling.

Briefing journalists after the Council’s 153rd meeting, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Uzodinma said the expansion underscores the government’s determination to curb unregulated extraction and strengthen oversight of mineral exports.

“The National Economic Council Ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft Prevention and Control, which I chair, presented an interim report to the Council.

NEC received it with satisfaction and expanded our terms of reference to now also take interest in solid minerals, because our solid minerals are being mined and stolen without contributing to national revenue,” he said.

Uzodinma added that the committee would collaborate with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), and security agencies to tackle gold smuggling, illicit quarrying, and the unauthorised export of minerals.

Originally established under former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 to address crude oil theft, the committee was reconstituted by President Bola Tinubu in December 2023 as production levels plunged below Nigeria’s OPEC quota.

Nigeria’s illegal mining sector remains a multibillion-naira shadow economy, particularly in gold and lithium. According to NEITI, the country loses over $9 billion annually to illegal extraction and mineral smuggling, with criminal syndicates and armed groups exploiting weak regulation and poor security.

A 2023 NEITI audit revealed that over 80 per cent of Nigeria’s mining activities are informal and unregulated, leaving enforcement agencies overstretched and struggling to monitor mineral exports.

The Ministry of Solid Minerals has already revoked more than 900 dormant mining licences and introduced a national gold reserve policy to enhance transparency and traceability in the sector.

According to Uzodinma, integrating solid minerals oversight into the oil theft prevention framework will help Nigeria adopt a more unified and robust approach to resource protection.

“We have done well,” he stated confidently. “The same spirit used in the oil sector will now guide our solid minerals sector to stop illegal entries, exploitation, and exports.”