Metal Mining in Nigeria: Critique on it’s Environmental, Socio- Impacts and Mitigation Measures

Abstract

Mining refers to the extraction of earthy minerals and substances with commercial value from the earth’s crust. Globally, Nigeria is one of the highly endowed countries with an abundant mineral. Examples of these minerals are metallic minerals, energy minerals, and gemstones. Deposits of several commercially important metals are spread across various parts of Nigeria. These metals include iron, gold, nickel, chromium, copper, uranium, silver, and tin. Mining types are surface mining, placer mining, underground mining and in-situ mining. Despite the commercial and economic benefits of metal mining, it has several adverse impacts on the environment, including pollution of air and water, loss of vegetation/deforestation, degradation of land, defacement of landscapes, and displacement of local people. Available measures to mitigate adverse impacts include the implementation of mining best practices, the closure of illegal mines, improved legislation and regulation of mining operations, the reclamation and restoration of abandoned mine sites via various forms of phytoremediation, and encouraging recycling. To ensure that the adverse metal mining impacts on the receiving environment are curtailed, government has a crucial role to play, as do non-governmental agencies. Also, further research into more sustainable mining practices is required.