Post by Trade facilitator on Dec 1, 2012 8:25:29 GMT 1
Prior to the discovery of crude oil in 1956, Nigeria’s economy was sustained by agriculture and solid minerals such as coal, tin, columbite and gold. Coal powered the nation’s now defunct railway system and supplied electricity. Tin yielded substantial foreign exchange earnings for the nation.
Figures from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that there are about 34 minerals of which only 13 have actually been mined, processed and marketed in the country. The availability of coal (with an export potential of 15 million tonnes per annum and valued at $1 billion), kaolin, limestone, feldspar, gold (in small quantities), iron ore, tin and associated minerals opens up opportunities for exports and generation of foreign exchange. It will also boost internal revenue and generate employment as new industries, products and services emerge.
As a result, interest in Nigeria’s mining sector is resurging. Enhancement of regulatory standards and development of a roadmap for reforms in the sector are seen as catalyst to attracting investments in the sector.
While some states have their development hinged on the mining of minerals buried underneath their lands, the inattention of miners to proper mining practices has made life difficult for the people, e.g., potable water is inaccessible or contaminated by activities of miners. Mine pits by artisanal and small-scale miners of gemstones in Ijero-Ekiti, Nassarawa, Olode, Shaki, Jos, Keffi, Akwanga and other parts of Nigeria also create huge environmental hazards to farmers as many of them have been accidentally buried in abandoned pits and shafts. What’s more worrying is that illegal miners do not know the gravity of the environmental hazards they cause.
Activities of illegal miners damage the profile of the soil, resulting in escalation of erosion and environmental degradation. More disturbing is the presence of radioactive materials contained in these minerals – lead epidemic due to illegal gold mining in Bagega, Zamfara State, has killed 400 and poisoned 4,000, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The Mineral and Mining Act of 2007 prohibits pollution of water course and alterations in water supply, and provides that everyone who uses water in connection with mining operation shall ensure that the water in use does not contain injurious substances in quantities likely to prove detrimental to animal or vegetable life. No amount of good intention will suffice, if contents of the Act as regards the environment are not enforced.
Sadly, as the slow response to the disaster in Bagega demonstrates, local, state and federal governments are unwilling and unable to respond to crisis. Nigeria, if it chooses to, can avoid foreseeable environmental degradation as is the case with the Niger-Delta region polluted by oil spillages.
Although the issue of environmental protection should be of concern to all, government must lead in terms of policies and strategies to conserve the environment. We believe that government must muster enough political will to ensure that the requisite programmes are executed effectively. It must move from the realms of pronouncements towards the actualisation of the desire to remediate the environment and ameliorate the sufferings of the people.
Source: www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/analysis/editorial/48268-forestalling-environmental-impact-of-mining
Figures from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that there are about 34 minerals of which only 13 have actually been mined, processed and marketed in the country. The availability of coal (with an export potential of 15 million tonnes per annum and valued at $1 billion), kaolin, limestone, feldspar, gold (in small quantities), iron ore, tin and associated minerals opens up opportunities for exports and generation of foreign exchange. It will also boost internal revenue and generate employment as new industries, products and services emerge.
As a result, interest in Nigeria’s mining sector is resurging. Enhancement of regulatory standards and development of a roadmap for reforms in the sector are seen as catalyst to attracting investments in the sector.
While some states have their development hinged on the mining of minerals buried underneath their lands, the inattention of miners to proper mining practices has made life difficult for the people, e.g., potable water is inaccessible or contaminated by activities of miners. Mine pits by artisanal and small-scale miners of gemstones in Ijero-Ekiti, Nassarawa, Olode, Shaki, Jos, Keffi, Akwanga and other parts of Nigeria also create huge environmental hazards to farmers as many of them have been accidentally buried in abandoned pits and shafts. What’s more worrying is that illegal miners do not know the gravity of the environmental hazards they cause.
Activities of illegal miners damage the profile of the soil, resulting in escalation of erosion and environmental degradation. More disturbing is the presence of radioactive materials contained in these minerals – lead epidemic due to illegal gold mining in Bagega, Zamfara State, has killed 400 and poisoned 4,000, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The Mineral and Mining Act of 2007 prohibits pollution of water course and alterations in water supply, and provides that everyone who uses water in connection with mining operation shall ensure that the water in use does not contain injurious substances in quantities likely to prove detrimental to animal or vegetable life. No amount of good intention will suffice, if contents of the Act as regards the environment are not enforced.
Sadly, as the slow response to the disaster in Bagega demonstrates, local, state and federal governments are unwilling and unable to respond to crisis. Nigeria, if it chooses to, can avoid foreseeable environmental degradation as is the case with the Niger-Delta region polluted by oil spillages.
Although the issue of environmental protection should be of concern to all, government must lead in terms of policies and strategies to conserve the environment. We believe that government must muster enough political will to ensure that the requisite programmes are executed effectively. It must move from the realms of pronouncements towards the actualisation of the desire to remediate the environment and ameliorate the sufferings of the people.
Source: www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/analysis/editorial/48268-forestalling-environmental-impact-of-mining
