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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
In Kebbi State, gold digging is big business for foreign companies.
But it’s a sad tale for Nigerians on whose land the precious item is deposited.
While the locals lacked expertise and modern technologies to extract the resources, the foreign companies, enabled by modern technology, including funds, extract the gold and smile in dollars to their banks and their countries.
Investigations by Daily Sun in Gari-Auwal, Fakai Local Government; in Ngaski, Wara-Ngaski LG and in a number of villages in Bagudo LG indicated that members of these communities are living in want and unfulfilled expectations as far as extracting their natural resources is concerned.
Some locals in Garin-Auwal, who begged not to be mentioned said:
“Mining activities by locals and foreigners have been going on peacefully for more than eight years in our village.
“Due to the discovery of gold and other precious deposits on the mountain, our village has become a hub of visitors of all sorts, many of whom primed their eyes on these resources or the value chains.
“Our communities, apprehensive of these foreign miners, prepared a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). They got the companies to sign it before they were allowed to mine the gold on our mountain.”
The communities got them to agree to undertake to provide schools for these communities, potable water, accessible roads and hospitals. They also sought employment for the youth into these companies. But as at date, most of these foreign companies have failed to play by letters of the understanding they signed.
Abdullahi, 20, told Daily Sun, that about 1,000 youth in the village were miners doing odd tasks for the foreign companies: “They found themselves doing the odd tasks simply because the licensed operators, mostly foreigners, refused to employ them.”
Umar Danmalu collaborated Abdullahi’s claim: “We don’t benefit anything from them, no road, no water, no school, not even a clinic.
They refused to build schools for us. We have no choice than to join in the exploration of our gold with our local tools.”
A Chinese company (name withheld) was one of such companies that turned its back on its corporate social responsibility to these communities despite the fact that it had flourishing exploits in these areas. The company started mining in 2012, during the administration of Saidu Nasamu Dakingeri. It continued its exploration to the past administration of Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.
He with the former Minister of Mining and Natural Resources, Kayode
Fayemi, had at some point taken time to visit the gold rich communities. They established that these communities were in no way supported by the foreign companies mining in the area. At Bagudo in Ngaski, they also established that the foreign miners violated the agreement they entered with government.
All of these prompted Bagudu to halt all mining activities by foreigners. He instructed his Attorney General to take legal actions against defaulters.
But that is not all. And it is not the end of the story. In the recent past, the bad news is that the mining sites in these communities have become a breeding ground for banditry and terrorism. With banditry easily flowing from Zamfara State to some areas in the state, there has been a hike in attacks on villages close to mining sites. The miners are not safe anymore. Some have been forced to convert to banditry or have been abducted by bandits.
Communities such as Dakon-Wasagu, Sakaba, Bena and Fakai under Zuru Emirate and Ngaski and Shanga in Yauri Emirate are worse hit by these attacks. As a result, many were displaced from their ancestral homes.
Against this background, Governor Nasir Idris ordered all miners, irrespective of their status, to suspend mining activities and relate with the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Mines Development for authentication and documentation. Government also directed security agents to take note and ensure strict compliance with the suspension until further notice.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Yakubu Bala, who announced
the suspension, hinged the decision on the rising security challenges at mining sites. He also attributed the suspension to lack of verifiable evidence of corporate social responsibilities on the part of the operators and “a total absence of accruing revenue, in the form of ecological tax and development levy, to the state and local government areas.”
Also mentioned as part of the government’s grouse is the fact that a significant number of the miners do not possess the requisite permit by the Federal Ministry of Mines and Solid Minerals. Bala added that the suspension was “part of broader efforts to create an environment that will promote safety, security, responsible resource extraction, long-term economic prosperity of the communities and to enhance revenue generation.
“Government believes that, it is of utmost importance to prioritise the protection and security of its citizens and to safeguard against converting the mining fields to breeding grounds for criminals and criminalities by unauthorised foreigners and non-indigenes of questionable characters, with the attendant consequences of an increase in banditry activities in our security compromised areas of Kebbi South.
“This administration invested heavily on improving security and will consolidate its gains on investment by safeguarding the safety and economic prosperity of indigenes in the localities where activities are taking place.
“While this suspension may have a temporary setback on mining activities, we want to assure all stakeholders that government is committed to resolving the underlining infractions and create a safe and conducive environment for mining activities to resume.
“Government will work closely with mining industry experts, local communities and relevant stakeholders to undertake a thorough assessment of security measures, environmental impact and regulatory framework that will seek to ensure a sustainable mining industry in Kebbi State.”
