When will we get serious about protecting the people and the environment?
Known as the Home of Solid Minerals, but the people and the environment are in penury and peril
On the 13th of October 2023, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State alongside the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake were in Lado village, Edege Development Area, Nasarawa State — for the foundation laying ceremony for the factory that will process lithium batteries. Established by Genfang Lithium Industry, the 16,000-ton lithium processing facility will cost the company about USD 250 million. Fast forward to 22nd November 2023, Governor Sule alongside his team visited Landmark Lithium Mining company within the Edege-Mbeki corridor to inspect the level of ongoing construction work in the 3000 metric tons a day factory.
Now, this is where the whole thing gets interesting. A cursory look at the Federal Ministry of Environment, Office of Environmental Assessment website — the statutory government agency tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all developmental projects are carried out in compliance with relevant environmental laws and regulations to ensure the sustainability of the environment — shows that none of the companies Governor Sule visited recently has commissioned or has completed an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study. This is in gross violation of the principal laws that govern the extractive industry in Nigeria — The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) (amended Act, 2018, the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (Chapter E12 LFN 2004), the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007. The Minerals and Mining Regulations 2011 (the Mining Regulations) also prescribe environmental obligations and standards.
Before I continue, let me state that this is not the first time mining companies have run afoul of the law in Nasarawa or other states of the federation. For so many years now, the mining community of Edege-Mbeki has been having a running battle with Kenyang Mining. It took the intervention of the Federal and State governments for some of the issues to be resolved — there are, however, still skirmishes once in a while. All of these could have been avoided if the company had carried out an EIA and engaged in a robust community engagement — this would have saved it money and given it the necessary social licence to operate without hindrance. Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and his counterpart from Taraba State, Agbu Kefas have also disagreed with mining companies regarding their operations and environmental due diligence.
The question to ask is, in all of these, where is the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources? Where are the Local Government Chairmen? Where are the Overseers of development areas? Where is the State’s Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO)? Is it possible that the aforementioned stakeholders and many more are ill-advising the governor or is it a problem of lack of technical capacity on their part? The people of Nasarawa State deserve answers to these and many more questions on the state of mining in their communities.
What is surprising to some of us is that Governor Sule should know better considering his background in the extractive industry (oil and gas) — he should know better about environmental due diligence, sustainability, sustainable development, and value addition to communities. I do not oppose the government's decision to create an enabling environment for mining companies, these investments are useful sources of revenue and employment. But I do not agree that environmental due diligence must be sacrificed, and the people neglected.
I recall an experience I recently had when I visited Edege-Mbeki (in October 2023). I visited the Artisanal and Small-Scale (ASM) mining site and the tailings dam used by the company, and it was an eyesore. I saw a lot of children, teenagers and youths who should be in school digging and panning for Columbite-Tantalite (COLTAN) in the scorching sun. I asked one of the young miners why he was not in school, turning to me he said, “he had lost his dad some years ago due to an upsurge in insecurity and his mother does not have the financial capacity to see him through school”. Hence, he resorted to mining to take care of himself, his siblings, and his mum. Perhaps one of the most heart-wrenching stories I have heard about mining in Nasarawa State and Edege-Mbeki, in particular, is the fact that children no longer go to school (in the Odu community, only five pupils were found on a school day attending classes) — children have abandoned school for the quick money that comes from mining, agricultural productivity is at an all-time and sensitive environmental receptor affected. It is my position that a community or nation that does not prioritise the education of its children is on the fast lane to extinction. Education is a critical component of any nation’s development and can help secure its future by building human capital, promoting innovation and creativity, reducing poverty and social inequality, and enhancing social cohesion.
The associated negative impacts of mining could have been curtailed or drastically reduced if there was competent and patriotic leadership at all tiers of government in Nasarawa State and Nigeria by extension. If security operatives had done their job, the young miner would probably not have lost his father — the breadwinner of the family and not be in the position he currently finds himself. In addition, if there were some support in the form of scholarships or student loans he could access, he probably would still be in school right now. If the Child Rights (CRA) is properly implemented, we would not have children in mining sites working with their parents in often horrible conditions thus, exposing them to social vices and health dangers. Furthermore, if there was an equitable distribution of benefits accruing to the government to mining communities, people would engage less in illegal ASM activities. Our leaders at all levels do not care because their children are far away in the cities and attending some of the best schools and in the future, their kids will likely end up superintending over the ones who are less or not even educated. Some would argue that even if the government lives up to its responsibility and provides the necessary instruments for people and communities not to engage in ASM, the practice will continue. Their arguments are valid, nevertheless, the impacts will be less in my opinion.
In the Lado and Kama-Otto communities, companies are arbitrarily buying agricultural land by inducing farmers with large sums of money. This divide-and-rule tactic has turned families against each other and led to a wave of civil litigation in courts — lawyers in Nasarawa local government must surely be smiling to the banks. I will not be surprised if the story is the same in mining communities across the state.
There is this traditional folk wisdom that says you can help a man to get a job, but you cannot help him to discharge the responsibilities that come with the office, how he goes about it is his responsibility. In the end, what we are dealing with in Edege-Mbeki and Nasarawa State at large is a complex and multi-faceted problem. The Governor must show leadership in addressing environmental pollution, settling conflicts, and making sure that children and youths go to school. To be fair to Governor Sule, since assuming office on the 29th of May 2019, he has always emphasised the need for environmental due diligence by companies and the enactment of laws that will reposition the mining industry in line with global best practices but does not back up his words with action.
It is not too late, and I do not want us to miss the point. The culture of impunity by companies in cohort with government officials should be dealt with headlong. Government must understand that its primary responsibility is the protection of lives and properties. In an atmosphere where there is environmental degradation, strife and anger, public peace is in jeopardy. Mining companies must dispense with the culture of impunity that believes that they can get away with anything and buy off anyone.
From now on, all hands must be on deck, communities and all agencies of government must work together for the common good of the people. Governor Sule’s administration must develop a state position on mining and child labour in Nasarawa State beyond the general statements and theatrics. I suggest that the Governor set up a State Council on Mining Reforms which reports directly to him, to begin a much-needed conversation about and around mining, child labour and education.
