By Stallion Times
On May 1, 2014, the former governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, signed the child labor prohibition bill into law, making it an offense that attracts two years of imprisonment in Kano.
In Kano, child labor has grown commonplace against the law because illegal miners are using minors as laborers to extract natural deposits in several tributaries.
Silica sand or Quartz, Tin, Columbite, lead zinc, Tantalite, Quartz, Gold, Uranium, Bauxite, Lithium, and Kaolin are some mineral resources abundant in Kano communities.
In this report, Stallion Times reporter Lukman Abdulmalik visited the Damagari community in the Rogo Local Government Area, where most of the recruited minors are between the ages of 7 and 15.
Minors in illegal mining
The exploitation of minors as cheap labor by merchants in Rogo LGA has increased the number of out-of-school children while they are all being underpaid and working under poor conditions.
Ismail Abubakar, 14, a JSS 2 student is one of the top students at Rogo Rumawa Government School, but dropped out after being hired by an illegal coalminer looking for mineral resources.
Abubakar disclosed to this reporter that he is not acquainted with the recruiter.
“In 2022, my friend Mustapha Ishaq took me to the tributaries in search of sand known as “Bakin Kwalli” (in Hausa).
“I usually go to the tributaries around 7:am and return around 6:pm every day, which sometimes I make a sum of N1,500 to N2,000 a day to sustain myself and support my parents.”
Abba Abdullahi, 16, is another minor from the Damagari community who has abandoned his studies for over 5 years.
At age 11, he started mining after being recruited by Usman Dangambo, a silica sand dealer in Rogo LGA.
Life in the mining fields is difficult. Every day, Abdullahi and other young miners are afraid of the threat of going to bed hungry
When he washed silica sand, the 11-year-old would sip from the stagnant pond to relieve his dry throat.
“I am suffering in the tributaries, no food and no water. I work for over 10 hours daily to extract silica sand.
“I usually fetch the sand from the tributaries and spread on a flat piece of leather and filter it with water to extract silica.
“After gathering enough silica, I stored it in a sack, while Dangambo will pay me 35 naira per scale.
“Because I know I cannot make a 100 scale in a day, I usually invite my friends to help me so that we can make at least 250 to 300 scale daily.”
Abdullahi disclosed that he is tired of the exploitation and he wants to resume back to school.
In an interview with Stallion Times, Abba’s father, Abdullahi Yahaya, expressed his sadness over his only male child being involved in mining.
“I have tried my best to refrain my child from going to the tributaries, but he has refused due to some penny he usually gets.
“These merchants, who amongst them are from our locality, are seriously exploiting minors, paying them less while they work.
“Now my child does not go to school anymore, he is always at the tributaries from 5:am to 6:pm in the evening.
However, despite the child labor act under Section 59(6) forbidding children from working at night (between 10 PM and 5 AM), minors in the Damagri community are being engaged to work under the prohibited hours of working.
The Head of School Services, in Rogo Sani Shuaibu, highlighted that the educational consequences of silicon mining in Rogo communities have led to the massive dropout of school children.
“This can perpetuate a cycle of poverty and limit future opportunities for these children the educational consequences of silicon mining in Rogo communities, are far-reaching and can
have long-lasting impacts on the education and well-being of children.”
An illegal miner confessed
Abdulhamid Aliyu, 38, is one among the solid mineral merchants and illegal miners who have recruited over 14 children to mine silica sand for him.
In an investigation, Stallion Times discovered that after getting the silica, they were sold to a company located in Jos known as Malcolm Mining Company.
Where iron, solar panels, engine plugs, and other metals are made from silica.
Aliyu said: “I am a middleman, who served as a merchant to various companies and foreigners.
“These companies and other individuals, especially Chinese people, pay me a huge amount of money to get them at least 5 trailers of silica twice a month.
“Each trailer consumes at least 2000 bags, so it is a hectic task, that is why I recruited young people to get the silica while I pay them.
“I buy per kilo N30 to N50, from my labourers and sell N250 per kilo to the companies,”
Aliyu told this reporter that he does not seek the consent of the minors’ parents before recruiting them.
Abuse of Child Labour in Legal Perspectives
In an interview with a private legal practitioner and advocate for human rights, Isah Abdulazeez Umar Under the Nigerian legal system, the prohibition of child labour is primarily enshrined in the labour act (Cap L1, LFN 2004).
He stated that “Section 59(1) prohibits the employment of children under the age of 12 except for light agricultural or domestic work in the family and tasks that will not cause injury to their health or development.
“Section 59(5) also prohibits the employment of young persons (defined as individuals under 18) in any employment that is dangerous or injurious to their health, development, or morals.
“Also, Section 61 Prohibits children under 15 from working in industrial undertakings, such as Mines and quarries, factories or any type of heavy or hazardous labor.”
Umar added that the Child Rights Act (CRA, 2003) Section 28(1) prohibits children from being subjected to exploitative labour, which is defined as work that is inappropriate for their age or capacity and may compromise their education, health, morals, and social development.
He added that the Act goes a step further to also provide punishment for any person who violates the prohibition of child labour by providing that “any person who contravenes any provision of subsection (1) or (2) of this section commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand Naira or imprisonment for a term of five years or both such fine and imprisonment.”
Kano Commissioner Reacts
Hamza Safiyanu, the Kano State Commissioner of Solid Minerals and Natural Resources, expressed concern over the illegal mining activities in the state, highlighting the government’s efforts to tackle the issue.
“We are aware of it, and we are taking all necessary steps to bring this issue to an end.
“One of the major concerns is the involvement of minors in mining, which has contributed to a growing number of out-of-school children.
“We are working closely with stakeholders to identify the recruiters and the companies exploiting these minors and to regulate the activities.”
Safiyanu emphasized that the government will focus on creating policies to safeguard both the environment and the communities affected by illegal mining.
He noted that some of the illegal mining activities are seasonal, with minerals often washed out by water during the rainy season.
“We might not traditionally call it mining, but rather the gathering of particles washed away by water, which mostly occurred during rainy seasons.”
Despite the signing of the child labor prohibition bill into law Kano is yet to implement the legislation on exploration, mining, small-scale mining, possession or purchase, mineral buying centers, or exporting.
This report was published with support and funding from Civic Media Lab