By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday announced plans to launch a crackdown on illegal gold miners, as part of a broader effort to protect Nigeria’s natural resources and enhance government revenue.
This decision comes after the Council expanded the scope of its Ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft Prevention and Control, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, to also cover the fight against illegal mining and mineral smuggling.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the 153rd NEC meeting, which was presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Uzodinma explained that the expanded mandate demonstrates the government’s commitment to stopping revenue losses from solid minerals.
“The National Economic Council Ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft Prevention and Control, which I chair, presented an interim report today to the Council.
“NEC received our report 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 and not adding to national revenue,” Uzodinma stated.
He added that the committee would collaborate closely with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), and security agencies to tackle gold smuggling, unregulated quarrying, and illicit mineral exports.
“Going forward, our committee, working with other government agencies, will look at how to ensure that the revenue of the country arising from solid minerals like gold and other forms of solid minerals is not allowed to be stolen,” Uzodinma said.
Originally set up by former President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2022, the ad-hoc committee was created to combat crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, which had severely affected national production and forced international oil companies to halt operations at key pipelines.
After President Bola Tinubu reconstituted the committee in December 2023, Nigeria’s daily oil production had fallen to between 700,000 and 800,000 barrels per day, well below its OPEC quota, causing significant foreign exchange shortages.
The illegal mining sector in Nigeria has grown into a multibillion-naira shadow economy, particularly in gold, lithium, and other high-value minerals. According to NEITI, illicit extraction and mineral smuggling cost the country over $9 billion annually.
Unlicensed mining operations—often controlled by criminal networks and armed groups in the North-West and North-Central regions—have turned gold mining into a funding source for banditry and cross-border crimes. A 2023 NEITI audit found that more than 80 per cent of Nigeria’s mining activities are informal and unregulated, while enforcement agencies face challenges in monitoring exports due to limited manpower and overlapping responsibilities.
In a bid to improve traceability and domestic beneficiation, the Ministry of Solid Minerals in September 2024 revoked over 900 dormant mining licenses and introduced a national gold reserve policy.
Uzodinma stated that the committee’s new mandate seeks to bring illegal mining under the same national resource protection framework previously applied to the oil sector.
“We have done well,” he claimed, adding, “Among other things, we recommended that NNPC, working with security agencies and their consultants, should strengthen security in all the creeks and extend coverage to offshore regions. That will help in curtailing and supervising illegal entries and exits of vessels into our export terminals.
This same spirit will now guide our solid minerals sector.”
The committee is expected to present its first progress report on the expanded mandate at the next NEC meeting scheduled for November.