The National Economic Council (NEC) has moved to secure Nigeria’s solid minerals, directing the Committee on Crude Oil Theft and Pipeline Vandalisation, led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, to probe illegal mining activities in the country.

This is as the NEC raised concerns on the rise of illegal mining and theft of Nigeria’s solid minerals, including gold, with proceeds not being remitted to the national treasury.

Governor Uzodimma, after a NEC meeting on Thursday chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, highlighted the issue of revenue leakages from unregulated mineral resource exploitation.

He explained that NEC’s decision reflects growing concern about revenue leakages from the unregulated exploitation of mineral resources.

“Our solid minerals are being mined and stolen without contributing to national revenue,” Uzodimma said. “NEC has now directed our committee to work with relevant agencies to ensure that the country’s solid minerals — such as gold and other valuable resources — are properly accounted for.”

The governor noted that NEC’s directive underscores the Council’s determination to secure national assets and improve revenue inflow from extractive industries.

He also reported that Nigeria’s daily crude oil production had increased significantly from pre-2023 levels of about 700,000–800,000 barrels per day to over 1.7 million barrels per day, attributing the improvement to a collaborative security framework involving regulators, operators, state governors, and the military.

“This success was achieved through an enhanced partnership between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Navy, and security agencies, alongside strong community engagement,” he said.

Uzodimma added that the expanded inter-ministerial committee will now focus on both oil and solid minerals, coordinating with other government bodies to close gaps in monitoring, licensing, and revenue collection.

Regarding security in offshore and creek regions, he underscored the imperative of bolstering surveillance along export corridors to prevent unauthorized access and safeguard production infrastructure.

Upon inquiry about revealing the new terms of reference and the timeline for submitting the expanded report, the governor stated that the committee would establish its operational“It is the same concern about illegal mining and the theft of our solid minerals without proper documentation or contribution to national revenue that informed NEC’s decision today,” he explained. “We will explore all avenues to address the situation and ensure accountability.”” framework in due time.

He said, “It is the same concern about illegal mining and the theft of our solid minerals without proper documentation or contribution to national revenue that informed NEC’s decision today. We will explore all avenues to address the situation and ensure accountability.”