President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has charged the military to flush out illegal miners.
Mining is a veritable source of revenue that can favourably compete with the income from oil.
Minister of Solid Minerals Dr. Dele Alake has stepped up efforts to make the sector perform optimally in revenue generation for the country.
To discourage criminality, the minister inaugurated the Mining Guard, deployed at sites nationwide.
Nigeria is rich in gold, tin, and coal, among other solid minerals.
The activities of illegal miners are prevalent in the Northwest, especially Zamfara State; Northcentral, especially in Niger, Nasarawa and Plateau states; Southwest in Osun and Ondo, among others.
Speaking yesterday when he received Course 32 participants of the National Defence College (NDC) at the State House, Abuja, the President said: ‘‘I recognise the need for the diversification of the economy, and we have been pushing hard on this.
“Your involvement will equally promote a better understanding of the issues.
‘‘We have challenges from scavengers and exploiters around the country.
“We must nip that in the bud, and you military officers understand this better than the civil society.”
