Popularly called ‘the blue stone’, the blue sapphire is regularly extracted from mineral stones by local miners, many of whom derive their source of livelihood from the sale of the precious gem. The tedious process of fetching the stones involves the clearing of vast forests around the streams, after which pits are dug. These pits reduce the flow of water from the stream to make it easier for the local miners to search for the sapphire. But the environment suffers degradation, as a result. The reduction in the flow of water from the streams into the forests, leads to dryer forests which negatively affects the ecology of the forests. The relationship of the living organisms (flora and fauna) to the physical environment of their forest habitat is affected which could cause a ripple effect on the broader ecosystem of the region. Also, heaps of the sand dug out from the pits, are often washed down the stream into the rivers. The silting of the rivers with the sand, makes the rivers shallow. Hence, the combination of the dryer forests and the heavily-silted rivers which eventually dry up during the dry season, grossly affects the livelihoods of the natives living around the area. The farmers who rely on non-timber products from the forests experience the effects, and the fishermen no more find abundant fishes to catch from the silted waters. The concomitant result is that many of these farmers and fishermen have out of frustration, abandoned their occupations and joined the local miners to dig for the blue sapphire. Equally worrisome, is the fact that many young boys and girls have voluntarily dropped out of school to seek financial gains by becoming local miners of the blue stone. The major factors causing the massive influx of men, women, youth and children into local mining to seek for these mineral stones, are illiteracy, unemployment and poverty, in addition to the perceived lack of organisation and lack of adequate legal framework in the solid minerals sector of Nigeria. A youth leader, Musa Gide, who lives in Jos, described how economically beneficial the mining business has been for the locals who participate in it. According to Gide, “some of our brothers who are from poor backgrounds and who have nothing doing, are here (mining site) keeping themselves busy. Some of them who didn’t even have ten naira (₦10), can today count millions of naira. Some of them even sponsor their brothers and sisters because of (the proceeds from) this mining.” Many believe that mining has brought relief from poverty and reduced crime. But the prominent question on the lips of not a few environmentalists and concerned stakeholders, is whether the economic benefits derived by the local miners, supersedes the devastating trend of the artisanal mining which if allowed to continue unabated, will worsen the already-deteriorating state of the environment. Gilbert Nyanganji, an environmentalist, reckoned that, “to find a balance between a new source of income to the local inhabitants of the plateau and to maintain the health of the ecosystem, lies the need to employ a sustainable means of extracting the minerals. “It would be hard to tell the people to stop the local mining. There has to be a synergy that the mining still goes on locally to sustain people’s livelihoods from day to day, and also put the environment as a huge priority. If we don’t checkmate the situation (the environmental impact), we could have a problem of sanitation that would flow through the rivers into the River Niger and as far down as the Niger Delta”. In the light of the foregoing, a structural geologist, Mr Isaac Boyi, has recommended that, “the Nigerian government needs to establish an ‘independent’ entity called the Solid Minerals Development Company. The independent entity would act like the NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) in the oil sector of Nigeria. It will easily acquire federal government permit over land areas where these resources exist. But because it might not have the capital to be able to mine, it will enter into partnerships with capable established mining companies, just as NNPC enters into joint ventures with Shell, Mobil, and others. There woud be expertise and necessary equipment, and the resources would be extracted safely. Production will be shared according to the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA)”. The weak legal system regulating the mining sector in Nigeria, has given room for artisanal mining to thrive indiscriminately, to the detriment of the environment. There is therefore an urgent need for effective policies, standards and regulations to be put in place to legally guide the artisanal mining practitioners. Also, the artisanal miners often delve into the sector with no knowledge about safe mining practices. There is the need for the government at national, state and local levels, to organise series of trainings for the local miners, to enlighten them on international best practices for safe mining operations, so as to prevent them from losing their lives and ruining the environment. With the shortfall in crude oil revenue, owing to the cascading price of oil at the international market, it has become absolutely expedient for the Nigerian government to diversify the nation’s oil-based economy.The government must as a matter of priority, develop the solid minerals sector as a viable option to boost the nation’s dwindling revenue. And looking towards the development of the solid mineral sector would seem as a viable option to boost the nation’s dwindling revenue, however, the exploitation of solid minerals would come at a damaging cost to the environment. Until a meaningful plan that takes cognizance of the environmental impact of mining blue shaphire is made and a safe method of extracting this mineral is found the dream of a poverty free mambilla plateau will always remain a mirage.There is no gainsaying the fact that mineral resources are exhaustible and as such, the government must consider it a priority to ensure that the nation’s diverse resources are well-harnessed, to keep the economy afloat regardless of the prevailing circumstance at any given time.
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