Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has offered to support the education of Yusuf Aliyu, the teenage artisanal miner whose account of conditions at a mining site in Niger State went viral following the deaths of 37 miners.
Atiku made the offer in a statement shared on his X account on Sunday, saying the teenager’s intelligence and confidence should be nurtured in a classroom rather than at a mining site.
The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate said he was deeply affected by the teenager’s video and urged that his safety and that of his family be protected.
“I have watched Yusuf Aliyu’s video repeatedly, and each time, my heart breaks. A child with such intelligence, clarity and confidence should be in a classroom building his future, not struggling for survival in a community surrounded by gold but buried in poverty,” Atiku said.
He added, “I am prepared to support his education and ensure that the brilliance we have witnessed is not buried by poverty.”
Yusuf, who spoke to News Central Television in a video that has circulated widely online, alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had shot at miners at a gold mining site in Niger State.
The teenager also rejected the NSCDC’s initial explanation that the deaths of suspected illegal miners in its custody were linked to a disease outbreak.
“We are not into illegal mining. The Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps don’t have the right to shoot at us,” Yusuf said.
Reacting to the teenager’s account, Atiku questioned how communities rich in mineral resources could continue to struggle with poverty and limited access to education.
“How can a community sitting upon gold remain so poor that it cannot educate its children? How can its wealth leave the soil while hunger and deprivation remain in its homes?” he asked.
Atiku also called on the Federal Government to explain the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 37 suspected illegal miners and the status of the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative in Niger State.
The miners died after suspected illegal miners were arrested during Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of Niger State on September 15 and 16.
While the NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, survivors alleged that overcrowding, poor ventilation, heat and dehydration contributed to the deaths.
The cause of death has not been established.
The Federal Government has constituted a 10 member committee to investigate the deaths, including the circumstances surrounding the arrests and detention of the miners. The Niger State Government has also set up a committee of inquiry, while the police are investigating the incident.
Atiku appealed for caution in any attempt to reach Yusuf, stressing that the teenager’s public statements should not expose him or his family to intimidation.
“Any effort to reach him must be handled responsibly through his family and appropriate child protection channels,” he said.
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