Nigeria to punish states disrupting mining activities

State governments in Nigeria found disrupting mining operations within their jurisdiction could risk losing 13 percent of their mining derivation revenue, the country’s ministry of mines and steel development has warned.

Oluwaseun Adewale, the technical adviser to the minister of mines and steel development, said in Abuja, the country’s capital on Monday that the ministry had written to states to allow legal mining operations as mining was on the exclusive list as reflected in section 39 of the constitution.

Adewale said the constitution confers the right on Nigeria’s central government to issue mining licence, collect royalties and supervise mining operations as well as take necessary action when any provision of the mineral act is violated.
“States are entitled to benefit from revenue of minerals derived from their locations, the revenue is being calculated for each state based on the number of mineral commodities recorded,” he said.

Recently, Lagos and Ebonyi governments banned mining operations on grounds of environmental degradation and default in mineral revenue payment.

The Miners Association of Nigeria described the actions of the two state governments as interfering with the operations of their members, and a breach of the constitution.