Mining Pollution Leaves Niger Communities in Fear as Oversight Gaps Persist
For years, residents of Shiroro communities in Niger State depended on the Onato stream for drinking, cooking and other household needs. But that source of life has now become a growing health concern following mining activities in the area.
The once-clear stream now runs brown as mining operations continue around Farin Doki and Ajata Aboki communities, where residents say excavators and artisanal miners have taken over large portions of land close to the water source.
Locals told PREMIUM TIMES that four mining sites currently operate in the area. According to them, two are controlled by indigenous artisanal miners, while the identities of operators behind the remaining sites remain unknown.
Some residents alleged that one of the mining sites appeared linked to Chinese operators, although the ownership could not be independently verified.
“We don’t know the names of those companies,” a youth leader in the area, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said.
He, however, claimed that some traditional authorities might be aware of the operators’ identities because of alleged benefits tied to the mining activities, although no evidence was provided to support the claim.
Residents say the environmental impact has become impossible to ignore.
A resident of Ajata Aboki, 46-year-old Sadace Anguwa, described the Onato stream as the backbone of life in the community.
“It has been 20 years since I got married into this village and we have always depended on this stream,” she said. “We drink from it, cook with it and use it for our everyday needs.”
According to her, the stream has now become polluted due to nearby gold mining activities, raising fears about public health.
“The water has become contaminated and dangerous to our health,” she said. “Whenever our children fall sick and we take them to hospitals, health workers warn us to stop using the stream water.”
The situation has also exposed deeper concerns about transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s mining sector.
Although government agencies such as the Mining Cadastre Office maintain digital systems meant to provide information on mining licences and operators, many rural communities remain unable to access or understand the platforms.
The Mining Cadastre Office operates an online licensing portal known as eMC+, launched in 2022 to improve transparency in mineral title administration. The Mines Environmental Compliance department is also responsible for monitoring environmental standards and enforcing compliance among mining operators.
However, experts say the systems remain inaccessible to many communities most affected by mining activities.
A member of the Nigerian Indigenous Women in Mining and Natural Resource Organisation and project manager at the Centre for Journalism and Innovation Development, Felicia Dairo, said poor internet access, low digital literacy and limited smartphone ownership continue to shut rural communities out of the system.
“Many rural communities are on the wrong side of Nigeria’s digital divide,” she said.
According to her, even though licensing records are available online, affected communities often lack the tools and knowledge needed to verify whether mining activities around them are legal or compliant with environmental regulations.
Experts also noted that environmental oversight remains largely opaque, as there are no publicly accessible records showing inspections, violations or enforcement actions carried out against mining operators.
Dairo warned that the absence of accessible information encourages illegality and weakens accountability in the sector.
She argued that transparency should go beyond simply uploading reports online and should instead allow communities to easily access, understand and act on information relating to mining operations and environmental impact.
She also pointed to countries such as Ghana, Jamaica, Australia and Zambia, where digital mining systems have been designed to be more transparent and user-friendly for both investors and local communities.
In Jamaica, for example, the JAMinCAD digital platform allows the public to easily track mining licences and operations through accessible online maps and databases.
Experts insist that until Nigeria redesigns its mining oversight systems to reflect the realities of rural communities, many residents in mining areas will continue to suffer environmental degradation without access to information or mechanisms for accountability.
Attempts to reach officials of the Mining Cadastre Office and the Mines Environmental Compliance department for comments were unsuccessful.
