The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday approved a landmark bill seeking to establish the Nigeria Mines Rangers Service, a special agency tasked with tackling the pervasive issues of illegal mining and improving security within mining communities across the country.
The decision followed the adoption of the report presented by the Senate Committee on Solid Minerals Development, chaired by Senator Ekong Samson.
Presenting the committee’s findings during the plenary session, Senator Samson emphasized that the new agency is designed to provide a much-needed “structured framework” for the sector. He explained that the Mines Rangers Service would be responsible for:
Monitoring mining activities.
Enforcing environmental and safety laws.
Ensuring sustainable mining practices are upheld nationwide.
The bill, originally sponsored by Senator Mohammed Ogoshi Onawo, aims to protect sensitive mining sites, regulate operational standards, and safeguard the host communities that frequently bear the negative impact of unregulated and illegal mining activities.
Sanity and Revenue Generation
Senators who contributed to the debate overwhelmingly welcomed the creation of the Mines Rangers Service, viewing it as a critical step toward addressing the rampant cases of illegal extraction and the associated security challenges in Nigeria’s resource-rich areas.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who presided over the session, noted that the service would significantly strengthen existing mining legislation and ultimately bring much-needed sanity to the sector.
“This bill, when signed into law, will help protect our natural resources, create jobs, and improve government revenue,” Akpabio stated, underscoring the potential economic and security benefits of the new specialized agency. The move signals a robust effort by the legislature to institutionalize the protection of the solid minerals industry.
