Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has pledged to support the education of Yusuf Aliyu, a teenage artisanal miner from Niger State whose comments about poverty, mining and the deaths of suspected illegal miners in the state have gone viral on social media.
Atiku made the pledge on Sunday after watching a video of Aliyu speaking at a gold mining site in Niger State. The former vice president said the teenager’s intelligence, confidence and clarity of expression should be nurtured through education rather than being left to work at a mining site.
In a statement shared on his X account, Atiku said he had watched the teenager’s video repeatedly and expressed concern about the circumstances that had pushed the young boy into artisanal mining.
He said he was prepared to support Aliyu’s education and ensure that his potential was not lost because of poverty.
Atiku also appealed for the teenager’s safety, warning that his public comments should not expose him or his family to intimidation or retaliation. He said any attempt to reach the boy should be handled through his family and appropriate child-protection channels.
Aliyu attracted widespread attention after appearing in a News Central Television video recorded at a mining location in Niger State. In the footage, the teenager spoke about the conditions under which young people in the community engage in mining and disputed aspects of the authorities’ account of the deaths of suspected illegal miners held by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The teenager said he and other young people involved in mining were under 18 and argued that poverty had contributed to their involvement in the activity. He explained that the money earned from mining helped them pay school fees and support their families.
His comments emerged amid controversy over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in NSCDC custody in Niger State. The detainees were arrested during 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 and other accounts raised concerns about conditions inside the detention facility, including overcrowding, heat and poor ventilation. The circumstances surrounding the deaths are now the subject of investigations by the relevant authorities.
The Federal Government has ordered an investigation into the deaths, with President Bola Tinubu directing that officials found responsible through abuse, negligence or dereliction of duty should face prosecution.
Against that backdrop, Atiku used the teenager’s story to draw attention to the broader issue of poverty in communities where mineral resources are extracted.
He questioned how communities located in areas rich in gold could remain poor enough for children to leave school and work at mining sites. He also called for clarification on the status of the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative, or PAGMI, in Niger State.
Atiku argued that the situation raised questions about how Nigeria’s mineral wealth is managed and whether communities where resources are extracted are receiving adequate opportunities, education and protection.
The former vice president’s intervention has also placed renewed attention on the welfare of children involved in artisanal mining. Child labour in hazardous environments exposes young people to physical dangers and can interfere with their education and long-term development.
While Atiku’s pledge is specifically directed at Aliyu’s education, the episode has generated a wider conversation about poverty, access to education and the conditions that drive children and young people into informal economic activities.
The teenager’s story has also become part of the broader public debate surrounding the 37 deaths in NSCDC custody, with civil society groups and other public figures calling for the circumstances of the deaths to be fully established.
Atiku said Aliyu’s case should not simply be viewed through the lens of illegal mining, but also as an indication of the socioeconomic difficulties confronting young Nigerians in resource-rich communities.
He urged that efforts to assist the teenager be carried out responsibly, particularly because of the public attention generated by his statements.
The pledge has therefore brought the education and welfare of the teenage miner into the spotlight while investigations continue into the deaths that initially drew attention to his story.
