RDI, Other Groups Petition Nasarawa Assembly over Mining Pollution in Two LGAs

The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has petitioned the Nasarawa State House of Assembly on the state of the mining communities in Awe and Karu Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State respectively, urging the House to conduct a fact-finding visit to the areas.

RDI made the call in a petition to the House jointly signed by the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) and the Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF).

Making the disclosure at a hybrid Media Interactive on Status of Mining in Nasarawa Communities where locals from Abuni and Uke district also participated, RDI Executive Director, Philip Jakpor said that the situation in Awe was particularly disturbing as the locals blamed the environmental degradation in the community on Multiverse Mining Company, supposedly Chinese owned.

The locals alleged that the Rafin Jaki River which is their only source of water had been polluted and had allegedly led to the deaths of some children in 2023.

They also cited indiscriminate rock blasting and insecurity as a fallout of mining activities in the area, alerting that their situation was becoming akin to Zamfara State where mining is responsible for the insecurity there.

Isah Abubakar from Awe LGA explained that the pollution of the river was the height of the insensitivity of the Chinese firm, even as he revealed that the local community obtained water samples from the river which was tested in a laboratory in Kaduna and found to have dangerous chemicals. He explained that their the mining company rebuffed their attempts to dialogue on the subject, informing them that they had dealings only with the government.

He explained that the enormous solid mineral resources in Awe just like Uke where lithium and gold are extracted, have become a curse, not a blessing.

Echoing the same line, Tarfa Awe also from the community said that the community is also suffering government neglect as there are no good roads and the electricity is epileptic. He lamented that while the locals go for weeks without electricity, the Chinese mining firm had 24 hours electricity.

In his intervention, EDEN Executive Director, Barrister Chima Williams said that the findings and the amateur videos show that violations of the environment are going on unchecked and the local people are totally helpless because they want to be law abiding.

Williams pointed out that the situation in Uke and Abuni reinforces the call by EDEN for the establishment of Mining Monitors comprising of mining host community representatives, Ministry of Mining representatives, Civil Defence representatives, among others to monitor the mining sites and routes, arrest any illegal miner and hands over to the Police for further investigation and prosecution.

He said that 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 use of personal protective gears.

He seized the opportunity to commend the Nigerian Senate for the proposed Nigeria Mines Rangers Service (NMRS) which passed second reading a few days ago, insisting that such an initiative would ensure that incidents like what is happening in Nasarawa are nipped in the bud and not allowed to happen anywhere else in the country.

Similarly, Executive Director of CFSF, Comrade Sani Baba extolled the patience of the community people in Awe and Karu LGA even as he noted that the findings in the mining communities are disheartening and confirm the organisations long held belief that in the quest for extraction of solid minerals, government at state and federal levels continue to look the other way while extractive firms ruin lands, create insecurity and rob us of our natural resources.

Comrade Baba said that CFSF is determined to work with RDI and other partners to see to it that justice is done in Nasarawa State even as he stressed that the lives of every Nigerian matters and refuses to accept the disdain that the mining firms, especially those from China have for Nigerians and the Nigerian environment.

We are particularly worried about the pollution of water and reported deaths of the locals in Awe LGA. The situation must not be allowed to deteriorate further and we cannot sacrifice the lives of our people and particularly that of our kids for the greed of mining firms.

The text of the Petition  to the House detailed eight key demands including the need for a fact-finding visit to the Abuni community with particular attention on the communities around the mining sites and the Rafin Jaki River as well as Uke district.

They also want a comprehensive environmental audit of Abuni community, Uke district and environs including their source of water and farm environment, and the revocation of the mining license of Multiverse Mining Company if the investigation shows it breached Nigeria’s environmental laws.

The groups also want the House to compel Multiverse Mining Company to take full responsibility for the clean-up and other remediation efforts on the environment in Abuni Community, among others.