Olukoyede: Some traditional leaders conniving with illegal miners despite damaging effects

Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says some traditional rulers are colluding with illegal miners in parts of Nigeria.

Olukoyede spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at a two-day first international anti-corruption and climate change conference.

The conference was organised by the HEDA Resource Centre in collaboration with Hawkmoth and supported by the MacArthur Foundation.

The theme of the event was ‘National stakeholders’ engagement for accountability and transparency in addressing climate change, energy transition, and oil licensing for sustainable development’.

Olukoyede said illegal mining in another five years would be much worse than the environmental degradation that oil and gas exploration has caused.

“So let us begin to have that at the back of our minds. It (illegal mining) is a major problem that we are grappling with,” the EFCC chairman said.

“You need to see the pictures of some of the environmental damage that illegal mining is causing, not only from foreigners alone but particularly from our indigenous people in their environment.

“In some cases, supported by some traditional rulers.”

He also said the severe environmental damage in the Niger Delta, including oil spills and pollution, was largely driven by corruption.

“The Niger Delta today is riddled with cases of oil spills, pollution, and damage to the ecosystem. This cannot be blamed on natural occurrences alone. Corruption is at the root of climatic disruptions,” he added.

Olukoyode added that transparency and accountability are essential in addressing the environmental and economic crises.

He called for strict adherence to laws and regulations to combat corruption in the oil industry.

Also speaking, Femi Falana, a human rights lawyer, said the failure of the government to contain the activities of illegal miners has led to the degradation of the environment.

Falana said illegal mining can be linked to other criminal activities, such as terrorism.

“The environment is being degraded due to the failure of the government. Trees are felled without any replacement, and gold is taken out of the country,” he said.

“It is estimated that about $9 billion worth of gold is smuggled out of Nigeria yearly. Not by ordinary people, but by highly placed criminal elements, who even sometimes use private jets and helicopters.

“Right now, these illegal mining activities are also fuelling terrorism, because the terrorists also make a lot of money from mining to buy weapons.

“Because of corrupt practices, it has been difficult for the government to combat terrorism, to combat smuggling, to combat the degradation of the environment, and the pollution of the environment.

“And so, if you have officials of the government who have engaged in reckless corruption, there is no way you can address the challenges of climate change.”

‘NEED FOR INVESTMENTS FOR CLEANUPS’

On his part, Arigbabu Suleiman, executive secretary of HEDA Resource Centre, stressed the need for cleanups in communities that have hosted mining activities as well as oil extraction.

“There is a need for clean-up in communities that have hosted oil extraction. For instance, there is a need for some remediation in communities that have hosted mega-dams because it also has serious environmental implications,” he said.

Suleiman said Nigeria needs huge investments in energy transition,

He warned against repeating the exploitation and mismanagement that plagued the oil sector, urging the government to focus on sustainable development that benefits all regions of the country.