The Federal Government seeks to deploy Nigeria’s digital identity infrastructure to track mining operators, strengthen regulation, and curb illegal mining nationwide.

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, disclosed that when he received the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, and her management team during a courtesy visit to the ministry in Abuja.

The meeting explored areas for collaboration between the ministry and NIMC to integrate digital identity into the solid minerals sector, improving governance, regulatory compliance, and monitoring of mining operations.

A statement issued on Sunday by the minister’s Special Assistant on Media, Lara Owoeye-Wise, said that both institutions are working to leverage technology and credible identity systems to support ongoing reforms in the sector.

Mr Alake described NIMC as a critical institution in Nigeria’s governance architecture, noting that effective regulation and national planning increasingly depend on reliable identity management and accurate data.

“NIMC occupies a critical position in translating policy into reality. It is pivotal to the development of any nation because governance today is driven by data, technology, and credible identity systems,” the minister said.

Tracking mining operators

Mr Alake said integrating digital identity into the mining sector would enable government agencies to properly identify operators, monitor mining activities, and distinguish legitimate licence holders from illegal miners.

According to him, effective identity management is essential to strengthening enforcement and tackling insecurity associated with illegal mining.

“Without identification, we cannot trace; we cannot track, and insecurity will flourish. In the solid minerals sector, we need effective tracking of both legal and illegal operations,” he said.

He added, “A credible identity ecosystem will strengthen regulation, improve enforcement, and support our efforts to sanitise the sector.”

He said technology, digital identity, data gathering, and statistics have become indispensable tools for evidence-based policymaking, efficient licensing, investment promotion, and improved oversight of mining operations.

The minister also noted that access to credible and verifiable data would enable government institutions to understand activities across the mining value chain better and formulate policies that support the sector’s sustainable development.

NIMC proposes deeper collaboration

Speaking during the meeting, Ms Coker-Odusote said the recently enacted NIMC Act 2026 has strengthened the legal framework for Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem and created new opportunities for collaboration with government institutions.

She said integrating NIMC’s digital identity infrastructure into the mining sector would improve interagency data integration, strengthen regulatory compliance, and enhance security.

According to her, the collaboration would also improve monitoring of mining operators, support law enforcement, and facilitate the implementation of Community Development Agreements between mining companies and host communities.

She added that a robust digital identity system would improve transparency, strengthen service delivery, and enable more efficient data sharing across government agencies.

“The commission’s infrastructure can support the creation of a more reliable identity ecosystem for the mining sector, helping regulators verify operators and improve monitoring across the country,” she said.

Reforms target illegal mining

The initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s broader reforms aimed at sanitising Nigeria’s solid minerals sector, which continues to face challenges, including illegal mining, insecurity, environmental degradation, and weak regulatory oversight.

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Authorities have repeatedly identified illegal mining as one of the biggest obstacles to unlocking the sector’s economic potential, with criminal networks and unlicensed operators exploiting mineral resources while depriving the government of revenue.

PREMIUM TIMES recently reported that the Federal Government arrested two suspected illegal miners and shut down an illegal site in Osun State as part of an intensified nationwide enforcement campaign. During the operation, Mining Marshals confiscated equipment and sealed the site, while the suspects assisted investigators in identifying financiers of the illegal activities.

The minister had said that the Mining Marshals arrested more than 300 suspected illegal miners nationwide, with over 150 suspects, including foreign nationals, currently facing prosecution. Several illegal mining sites have also been closed as part of efforts to restore order to the sector.

The Tinubu administration has also introduced reforms to attract responsible investment into mining, improve transparency, strengthen licensing procedures, and ensure Nigeria derives greater economic benefits from its vast mineral resources.