Tinubu Signs $700bn Mining Pact With US Days After 37 Miners Died in NSCDC Custody

President Bola Tinubu’s government has signed a framework agreement with the United States to deepen American investment in Nigeria’s mining sector and unlock an estimated $700 billion in mineral resources, just days after 37 suspected illegal miners died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Niger State.

The agreement was signed and exchanged on Wednesday at Nigeria’s Mission House in New York by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, and the United States Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.

Alake described the agreement as a landmark development that would shape the future of Nigeria’s mining industry. “Some agreements manage the present, and some agreements shape the future. The framework we sign today belongs to the second kind,” he said. He said the framework would facilitate cooperation in geological data and exploration, mineral development and processing, infrastructure development and technical capacity building. The minister said Nigeria was determined to move beyond the export of raw minerals and ensure that the country derived greater economic value from its resources through local processing, skills development, job creation and expanded opportunities for Nigerian businesses. He also stressed that the signing was only the beginning. “Now comes the harder and more important work: moving from agreement to implementation. A signature is a promise, results are the proof,” Alake said.

The agreement was witnessed by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Engr Yusuf Yabo, the Director-General of the Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office, Engr Simon Nkom, the Executive Secretary of the Solid Minerals Development Fund, Hajiya Fatima Shinkafi, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Solid Minerals Company, Martin Imonitie.

But the timing of the agreement has drawn sharp criticism. On September 17, 37 suspected illegal gold miners died in the custody of the NSCDC in Minna, Niger State. They were among more than 60 people arrested on September 15 and 16 during a crackdown around the Lt. Gen. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi Estate and nearby areas. Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago said many of the dead were between 14 and 18 years old. Children.

READ MORE: Niger Introduces Prior Declaration for Large Cash Transports in Anti-Terrorism Push

The NSCDC initially blamed the deaths on a sudden outbreak of disease, a claim that was met with widespread disbelief. Survivors said the detainees were packed into one overcrowded cell with almost no ventilation, that men began slumping and suffocating, and that guards ignored their banging on the door. Some alleged that a substance was sprayed into the cell before it was locked. The state commandant and 20 other officers were suspended. President Tinubu demanded accountability and ordered a full, transparent and unhindered investigation. An independent panel was set up, with a retired DSS deputy director-general as chairman and human rights lawyer Deji Adeyanju as a member.

Minna erupted after the deaths. Protesters attacked public transport and tried to burn government buildings. Security forces reportedly fired live rounds, and at least one person was shot. The governor responded with a 24-hour curfew.

The government says the mining agreement will create jobs and unlock the country’s mineral wealth. But the President has not visited Minna. He has not met with the families of the 37 miners. He has not addressed the nation on their deaths. Instead, he has signed an agreement that promises to bring more mining investment to a sector that already has a body count. For the families of the 37 miners, the agreement is not a promise of prosperity. It is an insult. And until the government brings those responsible for the deaths to justice and ensures that mining communities are protected, every new mining deal will be seen for what it is: a celebration of profit over Nigerian lives.

About The Author

West Africa Weekly

author

See author's posts