Officials in the Nigerian state of Nasarawa have accused the federal government of lax enforcement of mining laws, Vanguard reported, amid a sustained demand boom. 

What's happening?

Nasarawa is among several Nigerian states with abundant mineral deposits and attendant mining-related conflicts.

What sets Nasarawa apart, however, is the state's copious deposits of lithium ore, a lightweight material critical to clean energy infrastructure and electric vehicle batteries. As global demand for renewable energy and EVs climbs, mining activity in lithium-rich Nigerian states escalates in tandem, and officials in Nasarawa have raised several concerns. 

Dr. Samuel Egya is a special adviser on solid minerals to Nasarawa Gov. Abdullahi Sule. Egya told Vanguard that the Nigerian government's failure to act has enabled an uptick in illegal mining and "fraudulent" related activities involving land and mining rights.

Egya said that certain provisions in Nigeria's Mining Act of 2007 exacerbated those problems, particularly ones permitting Nigerian landowners and farmers to grant approval for mining activities without state or federal approval or oversight. 

According to Egya, that flexible provision opened the door for unscrupulous investors to benefit at the expense of locals.

"This provision has been grossly abused. Some miners take advantage of the law to pay a token amount to poor farmers or local chiefs who do not understand the legal or technical implications of such consent," he explained.

Egya stated that there had been cases of "impostors" impersonating local leaders to obtain mining licenses under false pretenses. Citing "cases where genuine paramount rulers who have the authority to endorse consent were bypassed," Egya continued.

"Some impostors signed the documents, and the Mining Cadastral Office issued exploration licenses without proper verification from the state. In the end, the whole process turned out to be a scam."

Why is this important?

Nigeria's mining industry has boomed in recent years, and by some accounts, as much as 80% of mining in the country's northern reserves is illegal.

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By default, black and gray markets, such as illegal mining, are unregulated, introducing myriad related problems, both environmentally and overall.

In December, the Associated Press investigated the use of child labor for lithium mining in Nigeria, profiling a 6-year-old girl who spent her day mining lithium. Although Nigeria has laws against the practice, enforcement is difficult and corruption is rife. 

Illegal mining is also a public health threat — in March, the Nigerian outlet Punch reported that the practice caused an outbreak of lead poisoning. In 2010, 400 children died of poisoning connected to illegal gold mining in the state of Zamfara.

Ecologically, unsanctioned mining is a disaster, disrupting biodiversity, razing habitats, destroying topsoil, encouraging drought, sapping natural resources at an unsustainable rate, and putting people at risk of poisoning as well as exposing them to the risk of mining accidents.  

What's being done about it?

Nigeria has cracked down on illegal mining, arresting miners involved in the practice.

Experts have called for greater scrutiny, however, particularly in areas with significant lithium deposits, like Nasarawa.

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