The war against uncontrolled sand mining in Northern Nigeria
Every day, hundreds of donkeys, tippers, wheelbarrows, head pans and shovels are used to dig sand running into millions of tons. They are used in building houses and other structures across Nigeria.
Many people ignore the fact that indiscriminate digging of sand is dangerous; that encroaching on farmlands can reduce farming activities needed for food security and income for farmers and more revenue to the government. Farming reduces poverty and hunger. Apart from the fact that natural resources should be properly utilized, local residents should be made to know the impact otherwise.
Analyses have shown that environmental degradation occasioned by illegal sand-digging in communities is caused, in the main, by laxity in environmental law implementation and ineffective development control.
Almost exclusively, women collect sand which is sold at low price, without any returns to government, yet there is the ever-expanding construction industry in some areas, especially in Northern Nigeria.
Many surveys have shown that illegal sand digging activities contribute immensely to environmental destruction and cause a lot of ecological distortions which affect the lives of about 80 million Nigerians.
The ecological consequences are disastrous, resulting in impact on climate and economic prospects, consequent upon the washing away of some areas of the land, and destruction crops and plantations. Though some state governments launched several taskforces to deal with illegal sand mining, and begun the clampdown on the illegal sand dredgers business.
Many other states have issued licenses to companies to carry out the legal business without consideration or seeking means to avoid the sad effect of climate change and migration of people.
I went as undercover, pretending that I wanted to buy sand in bulk to some areas in Abuja, Niger, Kaduna and Plateau states, where I found some untold stories about how some individuals engage in recruitment business of young girls, who were pulled away from school, as early as 15 years old, and brought to the sand excavation cites, to engage in supplying tons of sand to different construction companies.
Early morning on Saturday, I called one of my classmates to arrange where we are going to meet people who were into the sand merchandize business in one of the local government areas, in Northern Nigeria, where many communities are experiencing different types of gully erosion due to the business of illegal sand excavation. Immediately we arrived the area, the group leader who recognized my friend complained saying “why are you coming with someone who holds camera to our place.” Most of his followers were smoking marijuana (Indian hemp) sitting on top of their portion of sand they gathered as they awaited customers who would buy the different types of sand heaped there: ‘Mai laushi’ and ‘Mai tsakuwa’, as they called them in Hausa. “Which type do you want to buy or are you looking for? (meaning we have different types sharp, for plaster, or soft, gravel or granite).
Jibrin Dankasa, as he was popularly known due to his sand business, lamented that “apart from donkeys we used to supply sand for our clients, we involve wheelbarrow pushers, including trucks of all sizes - full truck or half - and we all have our agents and marketers who sell our product to different people and constructions sites and brick makers.” When asked how they carried out their business without running afoul of government taskforce over illegal sand digging, he disclosed that “it’s a matter of settling the people per day”.
According to him, the business brings good returns every day, “so to pay small amount of money to settle taskforce is not a problem. Our business is highly supportive of constructions companies, sand merchants and job seekers in the country. We provide jobs for unemployed Nigerians, especially the youths,” he explained.
He continued, “Not much has changed since I started this business with capital of N100 and one donkey only, in 1978. Every day, around 300 workers leave their homes early in the morning to go and excavate sand inside water or outside water using both new and traditional equipments, though only a few men follow tippers, others use donkeys for ease portage and without much harassment from law enforcement. The rest rely on the arrival of our donkeys to fill the bags of cement with sand and then use wheelbarrows to deliver the consignment to our different sales agent and marketers.
We sell a full tipper load of sand at the rate of N27,000; half tipper for N13,500 while in other areas we sell at the rate of N25,000 and N12,500. A bag of cement filled with sand we supply our customer at the rate of N120 while our boys who push the wheelbarrow collect N30 or N25 per bag. We make money every day. Do you think if I am working in government I will earn N150,000 per day, pay 150 workers everyday or on weekly basic to take care of their families.
After a short walk from his location, I approached someone who was inside a stream using a shovel to collect sand from the water, he was angry as he saw me holding my camera. He came out from the water and demanded that I handover the camera to him, asking why I was snapping picture.
I was however able to convince him that there was no picture of his inside the camera. He demanded to know why I came with camera to the place, without his permission. My friend who was on his football team/arsenal fans with enraged sand excavator, however calmed him down, telling him not to be upset. My friend, a university student studying geography, said he was collecting some sample of sand for his project adding that was why we were there.
He told him that he could benefit from his advice about your work. He brought out a packet of cigarettes, handed him a stick and they started smoking amiably. I seized the opportunity and spoke to him on the climate crisis and how to inspire people from all walks of life to come together and take action.
I said to him: “I heard that you allow your children not to go to school; that sometimes you bring them here for the sand digging business. It is not good for your health either entering into this type of water without waterproof shoes. You are damaging your health, the nature of your work is hazardous means to shorten your life expectancy.
“With your support about climate change mitigation, to avoid the risk you face daily, try to be a change maker too and if you want your life expectancy and your family’s to bed long, you need to send your kids to school on daily basis to have a good education in a good environment.”
Insecurity of Food and Agriculture
I also met some farmers whose farmlands were affected by land encroachment by sand excavators and construction of varied nature leading to conflicts on different issues that been running over the years.
Ardo Sani, a farmer, said I am not educated but I have listened to the radio for over 25 years and know how developed countries try to fight those mafias that are involved in excavation of farmlands without the authorities’ approval. In some developed countries land remains one of the most prized physical assets.”
I told him my mission was to write stories that will lead to solving the climate crisis in our societies through the media. We need to educate them as millions of farmers in Nigeria need to stand up and act to check global warming.
Many environmental experts I contacted said “tackling the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced, should include how food insecurity is affecting our populations, making people migrate from one place to another; land disputes between herders and farmers, land excavators and farmers from one place to another - labour migration – and its implications.
Similarly, group of climate changes NGO’s called on government agencies to draft programmes for the implementation of training the trainers about the impact of climate change to strike a balance between communities; to guide them. That they should produce up-to-date map on areas to address issues on their farms land and how to deal with climate change and increase the wellbeing of their populations; and provide an improved access to education about climate changes among their young ones. They should improve food security and agriculture strategies in Nigeria.
Environmental experts have consistently urged government agencies to accelerate the planting of millions of trees to create green areas through land utilization and to create more farms land to have successful good climate change mitigation in future.
They insist on the engagement of the media and introduction of programmes, create general public awareness on the dangers of climate change and need for all hands to be on deck for mitigation.