Illegal Mining Threat To West Africa’s Stability, Says Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned that illegal mining, resource theft, and mineral smuggling pose serious threats to peace and stability across West Africa, urging regional leaders to classify such activities as international crimes.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, at the opening of the Annual General Meeting of the Network of National Anti-Corruption Institutions in West Africa (NACIWA) held on Tuesday in Abuja, Tinubu lamented that despite decades of independence, corruption and the plundering of mineral resources continue to undermine the region’s economic and political progress.
“I believe the time has come for us to designate resource theft, mining, and stealing of minerals in the region as an international crime that threatens regional stability and galvanise the world against threats from stolen minerals from West Africa,” the President said.
He called for stronger unity among West African leaders in combating criminal networks profiting from mineral smuggling, stressing that such illicit activities fuel insecurity, corruption, and underdevelopment.
In his remarks, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), urged ECOWAS member states to domesticate the ECOWAS Protocol on Corruption to ensure that corrupt officials find no safe haven within the region.
“Let us domesticate the ECOWAS Protocol on Corruption so that thieves find no hiding place,” Fagbemi said. “The child who says his mother will not sleep will also not sleep. So too, the corrupt who disturb the peace of nations must not find rest across borders.”
NACIWA, a regional anti-corruption body comprising ECOWAS member states, promotes cooperation and coordination among national institutions in the fight against corruption. Its current president, Ola Olukoyede, also serves as Chairman of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
