Abstract
Most studies on Nigeria’s extractive industries have focused on oil because of its centrality to the country’s economy and foreign exchange earnings. Non-oil sectors however remain in the hands of illegal miners leading to colossal environmental damage. Nigeria has performed poorly in non-oil extractive industries and this endangers human and material environments. Due to large illegal mining in non-oil extractive industries, local topographies, land, humans and value systems are destroyed with poor government intervention. Illegal miners destroy human and material environments and negatively transform land and human scapes. Illegal miners kill and maim people in large numbers and they destroy environments to maximise profits. Local communities engage in protests at the risk of their lives since government remains nonchalant. Major cases in point are Zamfara massacre where illegal miners after years of uncontrolled illegal mining and destruction of environments unleash terror on humans (killing thousands of people) and environments and Ondo experience where illegal miners take charge of resources and communities. This paper contributes significantly to knowledge by examining the historical dynamics, local experiences, social, economic and environmental costs, nature and degree of human and environmental degradation and policy angles to illegal mining in non-oil extractive industries through the case studies of Zamfara and Ondo states, Nigeria within peculiar specificities and global perspectives of environmental (in)justice.
Presenters
Olayinka AkanleLecturer and Research Associate, Sociology, University of Ibadan Nigeria and University of Johannesburg, South Africa, Oyo, Nigeria
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRY, ILLEGAL MINING, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, UNSUSTAINABLE MINING PRACTICES, ENVIRONMENTALDAMAGE
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