At least 100 people are feared dead following the collapse of an artisanal gold mine in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria. The tragedy has once again placed Nigeria’s poorly regulated mining sector under the spotlight, highlighting the intersection of poverty, insecurity, environmental degradation, and weak governance.
A recurring disaster
Mining accidents are not new to Zamfara or to Nigeria. The region has long been dotted with artisanal pits where local miners—many of them working without formal licenses, training, or protective equipment—dig for gold under perilous conditions. Such mines often lack engineering reinforcement, proper ventilation, and safe excavation practices, leaving them vulnerable to sudden collapses during the rainy season or after prolonged exploitation.
Reports from locals suggest that over a hundred miners were underground when the pit caved in, trapping them beneath tons of earth. Rescue operations remain limited, often carried out with rudimentary tools by community members, with little state capacity to provide heavy duty recovery machinery.
The lure of gold, the absence of governance
Gold has become both a blessing and a curse in Zamfara. The state sits atop rich mineral deposits that attract thousands of informal miners, desperate for livelihoods in a region plagued by poverty and banditry. For many, mining offers a chance to earn more than subsistence farming or menial urban jobs.
Yet, the absence of strong regulation has created a shadow economy. Many of these operations are illegal, run by local cooperatives or sometimes exploited by armed groups who control mining territories as part of broader criminal networks. This black market structure deprives the government of revenue while leaving communities vulnerable to disasters.
Insecurity and complicity
The collapse also underscores the security crisis entwined with mining in northern Nigeria. Armed bandits and insurgent groups have used gold mining profits to finance weapons and sustain violence in the region. Several intelligence reports and research papers have previously documented how unregulated gold flows contribute to terrorism financing.
Despite military deployments, the state’s capacity to regulate mining activities remains minimal. Local officials often lack resources or, in some cases, the political will to shut down unsafe mines, as communities depend on them for survival. The complicity of local elites, who sometimes benefit from illicit mining, further weakens enforcement.
Public health and environmental toll
Beyond immediate deaths, unsafe mining in Zamfara has historically triggered public health crises. In 2010, the state witnessed one of the world’s worst lead poisoning outbreaks, killing hundreds of children and contaminating entire villages. The same conditions poorly handled ore, exposure to toxic metals, and contaminated water sources continue to endanger communities today.
Environmental degradation is equally severe. Abandoned pits, deforestation, and polluted streams are common legacies of artisanal mining, worsening food insecurity in a region already hit by climate stress.
The state and federal government’s dilemma
The federal government, through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, has repeatedly pledged to formalize artisanal mining. Programs such as the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) were meant to integrate informal miners into the legal economy, ensuring safety and tax compliance.
But implementation has been slow, undermined by weak capacity, corruption, and insecurity. While the Zamfara State government occasionally bans mining in crisis periods, such measures are rarely enforced. Locals return to the pits because alternative livelihoods are absent.
Broader implications for Nigeria’s resource politics
The tragedy also touches on Nigeria’s broader economic paradox. Despite being resource-rich, the country struggles to leverage its minerals for sustainable development. Oil dominates the national economy, while solid minerals, though abundant, contribute less than 1% of GDP.
Incidents like Zamfara’s mine collapse deter serious investors, who see high risks, poor infrastructure, and weak enforcement as barriers to entry. At the same time, communities bear the cost—lost lives, poisoned environments, and cycles of poverty.
What must change
To prevent future disasters, Nigeria must go beyond reactive sympathy messages and implement structural reforms:
- Formalization of artisanal miners through licensing, cooperatives, and technical training.
- Investment in safety: providing equipment, inspections, and emergency response capacity.
- Stronger enforcement against illegal operators and networks that profit from unsafe mining.
- Diversification of livelihoods so that communities are not trapped between unsafe mines and hunger.
The Zamfara gold mine collapse is not just an accident, it is a symptom of systemic failure. Without urgent reforms, the pattern will repeat: unregulated pits, desperate miners, preventable deaths. Nigeria’s mining future depends on whether the state can transition from ad-hoc crisis response to building a sustainable, safe, and inclusive mineral economy.
The lives lost in Zamfara are a reminder that beneath every glittering ounce of gold lies a moral obligation: to protect human life above profit.