Former Nigerian Minister Warns Illegal Mining Threatens Economy, Environment

ABUJA, Nigeria (XOL Africa) — Former Nigerian Minister of State for Environment Ibrahim Usman Jibril has warned that illegal mining and the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources are posing growing threats to Nigeria’s economy, environmental sustainability and long-term development, urging authorities to tighten regulation of the sector.

Jibril, now the Emir of Nasarawa, made the remarks during the 3rd Nigeria Socio-Ecological Alternatives Convergence organized by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) in Abuja.

He called on federal and state governments to strengthen oversight of mining activities and address the environmental degradation, insecurity and social challenges associated with illegal extractive operations.

Jibril said communities across Nigeria are increasingly bearing the effects of poorly regulated mining, widespread deforestation, land degradation, pollution, biodiversity loss and the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources.

According to him, the destruction of ecosystems is undermining livelihoods, reducing agricultural productivity, weakening food security, threatening public health and increasing the risks facing future generations.

He said forests and farmland that have sustained rural communities for decades are disappearing, while illegal mining continues to damage agricultural land, contaminate water sources and displace local residents.

Although Nasarawa State is endowed with valuable mineral resources, including lithium, tantalite and rare earth minerals, Jibril said the country’s mineral wealth must be developed responsibly.

“Development should never come at the cost of human lives, environmental integrity, or the future of generations yet unborn,” he said.

HOMEF Executive Director Nnimmo Bassey also warned that weak environmental governance, rising deforestation and destructive mining practices are contributing to environmental degradation and insecurity across Nigeria.

He cautioned that Nigeria’s growing focus on critical minerals, particularly lithium, risks repeating the environmental damage associated with decades of crude oil production in the Niger Delta unless stronger safeguards are introduced.

Bassey said Nigeria loses between 250,000 and 300,000 hectares of forest annually, leaving primary forests to cover only about 1.3% of the country’s land area.

“If the current rate of depletion continues, Nigeria could lose its remaining forests by 2052,” he warned.

Bassey also criticized some carbon credit initiatives, describing them as forms of “carbon colonialism.” He pointed to plans to dedicate about 250,000 hectares of mangrove forests in Delta State to carbon credit projects and the allocation of more than 760,000 hectares of land in Niger State to the United Arab Emirates-based company Blue Carbon for afforestation projects.

He said mining operations across the country have frequently left behind polluted rivers, degraded farmland, abandoned mine sites and displaced communities, while host communities often receive little of the economic benefits generated by extractive industries.

“The global transition to cleaner energy must not create a new cycle of environmentally destructive extraction under the guise of green development,” Bassey said.

Also speaking at the conference, Professor Omolade Adunbi, director of the African Studies Centre at the University of Michigan, warned that Nigeria’s expanding critical minerals industry could reproduce many of the social conflicts and environmental challenges experienced in the Niger Delta if governance and oversight remain weak.

Adunbi called for transparent regulation, equitable benefit-sharing and stronger protections for host communities, saying sustainable management of mineral resources will be essential as global demand for critical minerals continues to rise.