Our Gold: Tinubu’s Silence Is No Longer Golden

By Ikeddy ISIGUZO

The appointment of Dr. Henry Dele Alake as Minister of Solid Minerals Development was largely seen as a reflection of the President’s interest in gold. But how has that worked out?

Silence has characterised the solid minerals sector since the initial complaints that Alake made about illegal miners targeting him. “The mines marshal, an inter-agency security outfit, will incorporate special operatives from other security agencies like the Nigeria Police,” according to the Ministry. The mines marshals have been established with elaborate publicity since March 2024.

An important question that the Federal Government refuses to answer is the ownership of Nigeria’s solid mineral assets. Endless photo opportunities cannot provide the answer.

Why is gold treated differently from oil and gas? Is the government afraid to confront the illegal miners?

Gold, which is said to be found in abundance in Zamfara (accounting for more than 40 percent of discoveries in Nigeria), attracts the most attention. The mines are predominantly in the hands of private, mostly illegal, miners.

Annually, Nigeria grapples with lead poisoning in Zamfara State. The cause of this poisoning is illegal and unregulated gold mining in those areas. There is no protection for ordinary Nigerians, including children, who are affected by the pollution. Some of them are not even involved in mining but have died from contamination of water, food, or materials used in illegal mining.

Reports indicate that between 2010 and 2011, lead poisoning from illegal mining activities in Zamfara led to the deaths of at least 735 children, mostly aged 0 to 5 years, and left thousands ill, according to Uribe UU, Ekom RA, and Ekpo EA in their study Soil Lead Concentrations in Dareta Village, Zamfara State, Nigeria (Journal of Health Pollution, 2019;23(2009):1-15). The numbers may not be as high now, but the factors that contributed to the 2010 deaths still persist.

The government has done nothing about the pollution, as addressing it would mean accounting for gold mining. It has also abandoned the poor, who cannot do anything about the illegalities in Zamfara and many other regions where solid minerals, including gold, are found.

What is happening with our gold? What will gold contribute to the Federation Account in 2026? What percentage of the proceeds from gold sales goes to the gold-producing states? Why do we discuss gold in whispers?

For how long will the government pretend not to see that insecurity in the North West is driven by the high level of illegal mining in the region? Fights over control of the mines are linked to the multiplicity of groups exerting influence in the zone. The situation is not much different from the armed groups that nearly halted oil and gas exploration in the South South.

In two years under President Tinubu, what has been the official contribution of gold to the economy? Does Nigeria need money from oil and gas, or could gold provide a significant boost? Could it be that some of our gold is not even ours?

These issues are too important for the President’s silence to remain golden.

Finally…

Chicago is back in the news, thanks to President Tinubu, who launched another unnecessary effort to impress Nigerians by claiming he was in the city of jazz for studies. Tinubu introduced his classmate at Chicago State University (CSU), who was also his neighbor. The said classmate, reportedly a billionaire businessman, was overjoyed. Alex Zingman, born in 1966, was 13 when Tinubu left CSU in 1979. One day, Chicago State University should remember to honor its notable alumnus, who is now the President of Nigeria. Delay is not denial!

The IBB Golf Club in Abuja does not belong to former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, despite its name. The club actually belongs to the Nigerian people, as a property of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Its location places it under the jurisdiction of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Minister Nyesom Wike has caused controversy at the club by introducing complications that are uniquely his, potentially interfering with the judiciary. While the matter is in court, Wike appointed an Interim Management Committee (IMC), possibly within his powers. Interestingly, Hon. Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, President of the Court of Appeal, is the Chairperson of Wike’s IMC, and she has accepted the role. The cases include one against the IMC.

How Justice Dongban-Mensem will manage these matters when they reach the Court of Appeal remains to be seen. What motivated Wike’s choice of the IMC head?

What should we do about Abdullahi Ganduje, the immediate past Governor of Kano, who has just lost his position as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC)? As a top ally of the President, he should consider contesting the vice-presidential slot in 2027, which has been declared vacant. Ganduje’s experience should not be wasted.

Peace will not return to Rivers State in any meaningful way because those negotiating the return to normalcy cannot admit that their main challenge is managing greed. Until they restrain their greed, meaningless meetings will continue.

Public school education in the Federal Capital has been on hold for over two months. Teachers are on strike because they have not been paid. While the FCT focuses on commissioning roads and bridges, children remain out of school. Will help come soon?

The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) is causing frustration among Senators by delaying responses to audit issues. Officials claimed they were on retreat and needed two months to reply. I can give NNPCL the answers immediately — something that was not done during previous administrations. The truth is clear.

Crimes are becoming sectionalized and indigenised, with their severity judged based on the victim’s identity. Governors who do nothing when crimes occur in their domains suddenly raise hell if their indigenes are killed elsewhere, and vice versa. We must stop minimizing crimes based on ethnicity or location, regardless of who commits them.

Justice E.C. Mwita of a Nairobi High Court has ruled on Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s abduction from Kenya: “The government of Kenya violated the Constitution and Mr. Kanu’s rights and fundamental freedoms. Having lawfully entered Kenya, he was protected by the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Yet, he was abducted, confined in solitude, tortured, denied food and medication, chained, humiliated, ridiculed, and held in contempt, then forcibly removed from Kenya without following legal procedures — a clear breach of his rights. Kenya is liable for these violations.” The court awarded Kanu Kshs 10,000,000 in damages against the Kenyan Attorney General for violating his constitutional rights, with Professor PLO Lumumba representing Kanu.

*Isiguzo remains a major commentator on minor issues