By Emma Peter, Abuja
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed concern over the plight of children living in Nigeria’s mineral-rich communities, using a video of a young boy identified as Yusuf Aliyu to question the country’s approach to artisanal mining, poverty and access to education.
In a statement, Atiku said he had watched Aliyu’s video repeatedly and was moved by the boy’s intelligence, confidence and clarity, arguing that a child with such potential should be in school building his future rather than struggling for survival in a community surrounded by mineral wealth.
“I cannot look at him and see an ‘illegal miner.’ I see a Nigerian child failed by the country that should have protected him,” the former vice president said in the statement.
He described the boy as an example of the potential that could be lost when children in resource-rich communities are denied adequate opportunities, saying Aliyu’s circumstances raised broader questions about poverty and development in Nigeria’s mining areas.
Atiku also appealed for the safety of the young boy, warning that his courage should not expose him or his family to intimidation or retaliation.
“I am prepared to support his education and ensure that the brilliance we have witnessed is not buried by poverty,” he said, adding that any effort to reach the boy should be handled responsibly through his family and appropriate child-protection channels.
The former vice president’s statement comes amid renewed attention on illegal mining and the deaths of 37 suspected miners who died while in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Niger State.
The deaths have triggered investigations by relevant authorities, with questions surrounding the circumstances in which the detainees died and the conditions under which they were held.
Atiku questioned how communities endowed with gold could remain impoverished while valuable mineral resources are extracted from their environment.
“How can a community sitting upon gold remain so poor that it cannot educate its children?” he asked.
“How can its wealth leave the soil while hunger and deprivation remain in its homes?”
The former vice president directed criticism at the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, arguing that the Federal Government’s responsibility for Nigeria’s mineral resources should be accompanied by stronger attention to the welfare, opportunities and protection of communities where mining takes place.
Atiku also contrasted the current situation with the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI), introduced under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
PAGMI was established as part of efforts to formalise artisanal and small-scale gold mining, improve miners’ access to safer mining practices and markets, and bring more activities in the sector into the formal economy.
According to the statement, Atiku questioned what had become of the programme and its interventions in Niger State, where artisanal mining has remained an issue of concern.
He contrasted what he described as Buhari’s emphasis on formalisation with the enforcement actions under the present administration.
“Buhari saw people to formalise. Tinubu sees poor people to criminalise,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also called for answers over the deaths of the 37 Nigerians in NSCDC custody, stressing that their designation as illegal miners should not diminish the need to establish the full circumstances surrounding their deaths.
“The government must explain what became of PAGMI in Niger State and how 37 Nigerians died in the custody of a federal agency,” he said.
“Calling them ‘illegal miners’ cannot erase their humanity or excuse their deaths.”
Atiku said Yusuf Aliyu’s case should also be viewed within the broader challenge of providing education and economic opportunities for children growing up in mining communities.
He argued that Nigeria’s mineral wealth should translate into improved living conditions, education and sustainable livelihoods for host communities rather than leaving residents in poverty.
“As a father, a grandfather and a Nigerian, I refuse to look away,” Atiku said.
“I will continue to speak for these children because their lives matter, their dreams matter and their future belongs to Nigeria.”
He added: “The gold beneath their community should build classrooms and livelihoods, not graves.”
