The Mining Marshals of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, have provided a detailed explanation of how illegal mining can be tackled in Nigeria.
In a statement on Friday, the Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant Attah John Onoja, said there should be resource nationalism in the country’s mining sector.
He argued that Nigeria’s abundant mineral wealth holds the key to unlocking economic sovereignty and reducing the nation’s dependence on oil revenues.
Onoja noted that Nigeria, as a nation blessed with extraordinary mineral resources, had been constrained for decades by poor regulation, illegal mining and an overreliance on crude oil.
He stressed that despite possessing over 44 commercially viable minerals across more than 500 locations nationwide, the sector had historically contributed only a marginal percentage to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
On his part, representing the Chairman of the occasion, the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, Rear Admiral Olusanya Bankole (Rtd.), hailed Onoja’s courage, professionalism and unwavering patriotism in service to the nation.
He described the Mining Marshals commander as one of the emerging symbols of dedicated public service in Nigeria’s extractive sector, whose commitment to safeguarding the nation’s mineral wealth had earned widespread respect.
NSCDC Mining Marshals explain how Nigeria can end illegal mining, boost economy