Mining must not erase education - Punch Newspapers
Miners on a mining site. Photo: Institute for Security Studies
CHILD labour and out-of-school children remain a serious menace in Nigeria. This is despite the challenges they pose to societal well-being and progress. The failure of government is writ large in this problem. Governor Umar Bago of Niger State amplified this failure recently when he said young boys in the state were abandoning junior secondary schools for artisanal gold mining because they had “tasted money” and could not leave the sites. He referenced a UNICEF report which warned that by 2027, areas like Shiroro and other local government areas in the state might not have male children in JSS2 because of artisanal mining. This is alarming. Bago’s comments followed the recent death of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Minna, Niger State. According to him, some of the individuals caught in the illegal mining enforcement operations were teenagers aged 14 to 18 years. Curiously, the governor said the state government could not tackle the menace because “the governor is just a chief security officer of a state by mouth. It is rhetorical. There’s no power. You can’t give any order.” This is disappointing. It shows the kind of people in power in Nigeria. The governor’s comment implies that the government cannot stop the children because they are stronger than the state. Nigeria is in trouble. Nevertheless, several other countries contend with child miners as well. A report by UNICEF and the International Labour Organisation published in 2025 found that 138 million children globally were engaged in child labour in 2024, 54 million of them in hazardous work, including mining.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google Specifically, an estimated one to two million children aged between five and 17 are reportedly engaged in small-scale mining and quarrying globally. According to the ILO, children under the age of 18 constitute 30-50 per cent of the total workforce in small-scale gold mines in Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, this phenomenon exists in many countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Uganda. In Asia, millions of children abandon school for mining in such countries as Pakistan, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Mongolia, and Bangladesh. The menace is driven mainly by extreme poverty, financial attraction, and lack of educational infrastructure. Consequently, the children have had to face such health risks as mercury poisoning, liver disease and respiratory ailments. They are also being exposed to future economic crises. The solution lies in a quick and comprehensive plan, including stricter regulation and enforcement, to stop children from going to sites. Those who exploit children in mining sites should face prosecution and imprisonment if found guilty. Companies can partner with non-governmental organisations and communities to stop this problem. Save the Children has reportedly been implementing programmes to reintegrate child miners into schools and vocational training centres since 2021. It provides financial support to families and established Catch-Up Clubs, which provide financial stipends for education and accelerated learning, among others. It has expanded the programme to 10 countries. On its part, the ILO raises awareness about child labour through a programme called SCREAM (Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts, and the Media). In September 2023, for instance, 20 students in Lubumbashi, in the DRC, reportedly created artistic works to highlight the fact that children belong in schools, not mines. The African Development Bank has also helped to improve the welfare of children involved in cobalt mining in the DRC and reintegrate them into schools or vocational training programmes. In 2020, the DRC created a commission to coordinate actions to eliminate child labour in artisanal mining sites. The commission collaborates with international partners in its efforts to tackle the problem. The Nigerian government can toe this path. Governors must initiate plans to exclude school children from mining. They cannot just wait for the Federal Government. They should endeavour to invest in vocational training programmes and job alternatives in the agriculture sector as a way of providing alternative livelihoods for families that rely on mining for sustenance. They should not only build schools in mining areas, but they should also offer financial assistance to families to cover education costs. Traditional and religious institutions should join in letting parents know that lack of education will imperil their children’s future. It’s not a helpless situation. Every relevant stakeholder must face the issue at hand to tackle it holistically. Punch Editorial Board
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The Punch Newspaper on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don't miss a headline – join now!
Stay in the know—fast. Get instant alerts, breaking headlines, and exclusive stories with the Punch News App. Download now and never miss a beat.
