Viral Niger Teen Miner Gets Education Support Pledge from Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to support the education of Yusuf Aliyu, a teenage artisanal miner in Niger State whose video discussing the deaths of 37 miners in the state has gone viral.

Atiku, in a statement shared on Sunday via his X handle, said he was deeply concerned by the teenager’s situation and believed a child of his intelligence and confidence should be in school rather than working at a mining site.

He also appealed for Yusuf’s safety, warning that his public comments 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,” Atiku said, adding that any effort to reach the teenager should be handled responsibly through his family and appropriate child-protection channels.

Yusuf, who spoke to News Central Television, alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps had shot at miners at a gold mining site in Niger State. He also disputed the NSCDC’s initial claim that the deaths of suspected illegal miners in its custody were linked to a disease outbreak.

The teenager said many young people were working at the mining site because their families were poor and they needed to contribute to their parents’ upkeep and pay their school fees.

Atiku said Yusuf’s account raised broader questions about poverty, child labour and the management of Nigeria’s mineral resources.

He also criticised the Federal Government’s handling of artisanal miners, comparing the current situation with the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative established under former President Muhammadu Buhari to register, train and integrate artisanal miners into the formal economy.

Atiku called on the Federal Government to explain the current status of the initiative in Niger State and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the 37 suspected illegal miners who were arrested during NSCDC operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state on September 15 and 16.

The NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, while survivors alleged that overcrowding, poor ventilation, extreme heat and dehydration contributed to the deaths.

The actual cause of death has not yet been established. The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the deaths, including the circumstances surrounding the arrests and detention. The Niger State Government has also established a committee of inquiry, while the police are investigating the incident.

Atiku said the incident should prompt renewed attention to the welfare and education of children living in mining communities.

“The gold beneath their community should build classrooms and livelihoods, not graves,” he said.