The African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has offered to support the education of Yusuf Aliyu, a teenage artisanal miner in Niger State, whose account of the deaths of miners in the state has gone viral. Atiku made the offer on Sunday while reacting to a video of Aliyu speaking at a gold mining site following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the state.
In a statement posted on his X handle, Atiku expressed concern that a child displaying such intelligence and confidence was working at a mining site instead of being in school. He said he had watched the teenager’s video repeatedly and was moved to act. Atiku described Aliyu as a Nigerian child whose circumstances had pushed him into artisanal mining, rather than simply labeling him as an "illegal miner".
Atiku also appealed for the teenager’s safety, warning that his public comments about the mining incident should not expose him or his family to intimidation or retaliation. He added that any attempt to reach the teenager should be made through his family and appropriate child-protection channels. Aliyu, in the viral video, alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had shot at miners at a gold mining site in Niger State.
The teenager rejected the NSCDC’s initial explanation that the deaths of suspected illegal miners in its custody were caused by a disease outbreak. Aliyu stated that the miners were working to support their impoverished families and pay their school fees. He claimed that they were not into illegal mining and were educated, doing the work to help their parents who are very poor.
Reacting to Aliyu's account, Atiku questioned how communities endowed with gold could remain impoverished and unable to provide adequate educational opportunities for their children. He criticized the administration of President Bola Tinubu over its handling of artisanal mining, contrasting it with the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative established under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Atiku, the initiative was designed to register, train and integrate artisanal miners into the formal economy, with Niger State among its intervention areas. Atiku called on the Federal Government to explain what happened to the initiative in Niger State and provide answers on the deaths of the 37 miners. The government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the incident.
The Niger State Government has also set up a committee of inquiry, while the police are investigating the incident. Atiku said the circumstances surrounding Aliyu’s story should prompt broader questions about poverty, child labour and the management of Nigeria’s mineral resources. The gold beneath their community should build classrooms and livelihoods, not graves, he said.
Key points
- Atiku Abubakar offers scholarship to Yusuf Aliyu, a teenage artisanal miner.
- Atiku criticizes President Bola Tinubu's handling of artisanal mining.
- The Federal Government investigates the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in Niger State.
