CSOs petition Nasarawa govt over devastation, exploitation in mining communities

By Innocent Anoruo

03 October 2024 | 3:46 am

With the devastation of artisanal mining and the recalcitrance of the promoters to address the impact, Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) and its partners have petitioned the Nasarawa State government to wade into the situation.

Seek audit of environment, water source, others

RDI, Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF) and Neighbourhood Environment Watch (NEW) Foundation, in the petition, are praying to the House of Assembly to support the impacted people of Abuni in their quest for environmental justice.

They asked the legislature to, among others, visit the Abuni community to investigate mining operations, adding: “Uke district should also be visited, carry out a comprehensive environmental audit of Abuni on their source of water and farm environment, and revoke the mining licence of Multiverse Mining Company if the investigation shows a breach of Nigeria’s environmental laws.”

At a media interactive session on the State of Mining Communities in Nasarawa State, yesterday, in Lagos, the Executive Director of RDI, Philip Jakpor, described mining impact in Nasarawa communities as a ticking time bomb that could go off anytime if urgent steps are not taken to address the situation.

He lamented “the state of the environment, the exploitation of young girls as young as 13 years for sexual satisfaction of licensed and illegal miners, as well as the insecurity occasioned by the influx of foreigners in that community.”

“Last April, RDI had raised the alarm on the state of the environment in Uke district, Karu Local Council of Nasarawa, following the commencement of extraction of gold and lithium there.

“Unfortunately, we have yet to hear of any positive change since our report was published. Instead, disturbingly, we have been able to document that the situation is even worse in Awe Local Council where locals allege that a Chinese firm, Multiverse Mining Company, is also impacting Abuni negatively,” he added.

The Guardian gathered that unethical mining in Abuni and its environs is polluting the only source of water for the locals, as many had died of water poisoning.

Executive Director of CFSF, Sani Baba, described findings from mining communities of Nasarawa as disheartening.

He added: “They confirm our long-held belief that in the quest for extraction of solid minerals, government at the state and federal levels continues to look the other way, while extractive firms ruin lands, create insecurity and rob us of our natural resources.”

According to him, CFSF is determined to work with RDI and other partners to see that justice is done in Nasarawa.

In his intervention, the Executive Director of EDEN, Chima Williams, observed that the mistakes of oil were already happening in the solid minerals sector.

‘It is for this reason that we advocated that Nigeria’s Mining Act should create a crimes and punishments section that can be enforced either by the host communities or the Ministry of Mines and Solid Minerals. What is happening in Awe and Uke fits perfectly into sanctionable acts because the environment, livelihoods and lives of the people are being systematically destroyed right under the nose of the state government.

“Mining inspectors that are a component of this initiative shall, without notice, visit any mining site to know whether or not the operators are operating within accepted standards, including the use of personal protective gears,” he urged.