In the national conversation about wealth and development, all eyes remain fixated on oil, while gold one of Nigeria’s most valuable resources disappears in total silence. No headlines. No outrage. No trace.
From Zamfara to Osun, Kaduna to Niger, Nigeria is richly blessed with gold deposits that could rival other global players. Yet there is no National Gold Reserve, no tonnage reflected in CBN records, and no entry of these resources in the federal budget. The question remains haunting: Who is mining it? Where did Nigeria’s gold really go?
The Disappearance in Silence.
In 2019, the federal government banned mining in Zamfara, claiming that illegal mining was being used to fund insurgency. But behind that official move, a deeper game was at play. Local artisanal miners mostly poor, indigenous communities were displaced. And in their place, foreign interests quietly moved in, aided by corrupt facilitators and enabled by insecurity. With no pipeline to monitor and no public outrage to stoke, tons of gold were extracted and flown out of Nigeria, never touching our national vaults.
While oil remained the distraction, gold became the secret currency. No protests. No accountability. Just quiet deals and open vans into waiting jets.
Consequences of This Looting
Loss of Natural Wealth: Nigeria’s gold is being mined without trace, leaving nothing in national reserves, and nothing for future generations.
Zero Reflection in National Budget: Despite its immense value, solid minerals like gold, lithium, cobalt, tin, and zinc are absent from the federal fiscal plan. Oil and agriculture are overstretched while our mineral wealth is ignored.
Insecurity as a Smokescreen: Insecurity is no longer just a crisis it’s a tool. It distracts the government and citizens while our land is plundered.
Loss of Sovereignty: Nigeria owns the gold, but has no control over it. Locals are pushed aside while foreigners extract and profit.
Personal Greed Over National Interest: Internal collaborators those who do not believe in Nigeria mentally, physically, or spiritually enable this plunder for selfish gain.
International Complicity: Foreign nations benefit from this chaos. They exploit insecurity to create division so attention remains on oil pipeline theft the distraction while the real wealth silently exits the country.
How Can We Remedy This National Tragedy?
We cannot continue to cry over oil theft while our greater wealth vanishes unaccounted. We must act and quickly.
1. Create a National Solid Minerals Reserve
Like crude oil, Nigeria must establish a Federal Gold and Mineral Vault managed by the CBN and Ministry of Solid Minerals, to track, store, and report all mineral wealth.
2. Integrate Solid Minerals into the National Budget Gold and other valuable resources must reflect in the federal budget, with planned revenue generation, expenditure, and reinvestment frameworks.
3. Form a Special Resource Protection Force
Deploy a military-backed Task Force to secure mining sites, expel illegal operators, and monitor exports.
4. National Geo-Mapping and Transparency Registry
Update and publicly share geological data on Nigeria’s mineral resources, including quantity, location, and licensees.
5. Community Inclusion and Ownership
Involve local communities by giving them equity shares in legal mining operations, turning them into stakeholders and defenders of their own land.
6. Legislate Solid Minerals Development Act
A dedicated legislative framework must define ownership, penalties, royalties, and national benefits from every ounce of resource extracted.
7. Launch an Independent Audit and Recovery Commission
Nigeria must investigate past mineral exports, recover stolen wealth, and blacklist any company or individual involved in illegal mining and exportation.
8. Strengthen Global Partnerships with Accountability Bodies
Join platforms like EITI and work with Interpol and global watchdogs to expose the network of illicit mineral trade.
A Call for National Reawakening.
This is not just an economic issue it is a matter of national survival and posterity. Our future is being mined away while we watch in silence. If we fail to act now, history will remember us as the generation that allowed Nigeria to be robbed blind not by invaders, but by its own children.
In God We Trust
“A nation that loses control of its wealth loses the future of its children.”
May Almighty God come to our aid, and bless Nigeria with leaders of vision, integrity, and courage to reclaim what belongs to the people.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Long live her vigilant, patriotic citizens.
We all remain blessed.
By
Chief Odekpe,Iyase Of Onicha -Uku Kingdom
(De Traditional Prime Minister)
