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The Hidden Cost of Lithium: Child Labor and Illegal Mining in Northern Nigeria

Lithium, the cornerstone of our digital and green economies, powers everything from electric vehicles to smartphones. Yet, its extraction often hides a darker reality. In Nigeria’s Nassarawa state, children as young as five years old are being exploited in illegal lithium mines. This alarming situation underscores the human cost of global technological advancements and the growing demand for sustainable energy.


A six-year-old child working at an illegal lithium mining site in Pasali, northern Nigeria, highlighting the harsh realities of child labor.
Child labor in lithium mining: The human cost of powering the green revolution. Photo: Euronews

A Grueling Task: The Reality of Lithium Mining

Lithium mining is not for the faint-hearted. Miners descend into narrow, unstable pits, chiseling away at rocks with rudimentary tools. The dangers are immense—collapsing mud walls, toxic dust, and injuries are constant threats. For new mines, dynamite is often smuggled in to blast the earth, adding another layer of risk.

Abdullahi Sabiu, a miner who began this work at 20, acknowledges the hazards but sees mining as a means of survival. "Every profession has its risks, and death is unpredictable," he explains. His work, like that of thousands of others, feeds into the global supply chain, ultimately supporting industries in far-off countries.


The Exploitation of the Vulnerable: Child Labor in Lithium Mines

In rural Pasali village, lithium mining has become a grim livelihood for the poorest, including children. A team of six children can sort and bag up to ten 25-kg bags of lithium daily, earning meager wages. Among them, Zakaria Danladi, five, and Juliet Samaniya, six, were once in school. Now, poverty has forced them to hunch over rocks, extracting fragments of lithium with crude tools.



Aliyu Ibrahim, a lithium merchant, admits employing children, citing poverty and orphanhood as justification. His operations, like many others, are unlicensed, operating in a shadowy network of informal buyers and sellers.


The Cost of Illegal Mining: Economic and Environmental Impact

Illegal mining in Nigeria not only exploits its most vulnerable but also drains the economy. Parliamentary investigations reveal that unlicensed operations cost Nigeria billions annually. President Bola Tinubu has highlighted the link between illegal mining and the escalating insecurity in the northern region.

Adding to the issue is the controversial role of Chinese companies in Nigeria's extractive industry. They dominate the sector but face accusations of exploitative labor practices, environmental degradation, and illicit mining.


Global Demand, Local Struggles

The world’s shift to green energy and technological innovation depends on lithium, yet its mining often overlooks the human and environmental toll. While clean energy promises a sustainable future, the dark underbelly of its supply chain calls for urgent reforms.


Source: Euronews


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