Nigerian Gold Miners Seek the Right to Mine

October 18, 2012

There is literally gold in the ground under and around many villages in Zamfara State, in northern Nigeria. And since the price of gold has spiked, many local people have been digging without a license. Government officials blame their operations for a massive lead poisoning outbreak. But activists say punishing miners would make the health crisis worse.

Gold mining in this part of northern Nigeria is not glamorous. But these men say it’s more dignified than extreme poverty, which used to be the norm around here.

Sani Bila heads a local mining association. As he perches on a pile of rocks laced with gold, he says nowadays business is booming.

“We used to sell a gram of gold for 1,000 or 1,500 Naira ($6-$9). But now we sell one gram for 5,000 ($30),” Bila said.

Other miners say success is coupled with fear, as the government continues to call their operations illegal.

At a news conference in the capital, Abuja, State Minister of Health Muhammad Ali Pate says a lot of small-scale mining is illegal because it is dangerous. He blames the small operations for the lead poisoning outbreak that has crippled the Zamfara region and killed hundreds of children.

“People do illegal mining and bring their mining products home and process it. Inadvertently they poison their environment with lead which ends up in their children,” Pate said.