The National Economic Council (NEC) has announced a significant crackdown on illegal gold miners in Nigeria, as part of a broader strategy to safeguard the country's natural resources and boost government revenue. The NEC has expanded the mandate of its Ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft Prevention and Control, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, to include the fight against illegal mining and mineral smuggling.

According to Governor Uzodinma, the committee will work closely with the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), and security agencies to curb gold smuggling, unregulated quarrying, and illicit mineral exports. This move is expected to help the country recover billions of dollars lost to illegal mining activities.

The NEC's decision is in response to the significant revenue losses Nigeria suffers due to illegal mining. The country loses over $9 billion annually to illicit extraction and mineral smuggling, with most mining activities being informal and unregulated. These unlicensed operations, often controlled by criminal syndicates and armed groups, have turned gold mining into a source of funding for banditry and cross-border crime.

The committee's expanded mandate aims to integrate the fight against illegal mining into the broader national resource protection framework, similar to the existing framework for the oil sector. The committee will focus on ensuring that revenue from solid minerals like gold is not stolen and that the country's natural resources are protected.

The committee is expected to submit its first progress report on the expanded mandate at the next NEC meeting in November. This move is seen as a significant step towards addressing the challenges of illegal mining in Nigeria and boosting the country's revenue.