Children are increasingly turning to artisanal mining in parts of Nigeria, trading school and safety for income as poverty and the lure of quick money push them into dangerous mining sites.
A field investigation across Nasarawa, Taraba, Ondo and Niger states found children as young as seven working in mining communities, often without protective equipment or adequate safety measures.
In Nasarawa, some children work alongside their parents or under mining sponsors, earning money from tin and other minerals. In Taraba, young people have been drawn to gold mining after hearing of others making large sums from precious stones.
The risks are severe. Children working in mining pits face collapsing excavations, machinery accidents, dust exposure and contact with toxic substances such as mercury used in gold processing. Some also work without access to clean water, sanitation or medical care.
For many families, however, mining has become a survival strategy. Parents struggling with food, school expenses and other household needs sometimes allow their children to work, while some children enter the trade after dropping out of school.
The situation raises concerns over child labour, education and public safety, while also exposing weaknesses in the regulation of Nigeria’s artisanal mining sector.
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