The Executive Director, Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu has stressed the importance for all hands, particularly stakeholders in the Mining Host Community’s, Media, Government, Civil Society Organisations amongst others to strive towards avoiding a repeat of the pitfalls that led to strife and violent agitations in Niger Delta region of the country.
The Executive Director, Global Rights gave the charge at a 3 day training for critical stakeholders of Mining Host communities organized by Global Rights on Fiscal Governance for solid minerals in Nigeria for members of the Federation.
The Capacity enhancement training according to the Executive Director is to build capacity for the participants who are majorly stakeholders of host communities to participate in governance and demand fiscal and Environmental accountability for the minerals assessed.
The Federation of Nigeria Mining Host Community working with mining Host Community’s at the training include; Journalists reporting extractive industry, Community Leaders, Civil Society, said Global Rights is concerned about protection, respecting host communities and allowing them access to revenue.
The Executive Director, represented by Edosa Oviawe, pointed out that if serious attention is not paid to the irregularities taking place in mining communities, sooner or later, the challenges, if not be different, may be worst than what obtains in the Niger Delta region.
While he called on the participants at the training to take the training seriously, explained that equitable distribution of resources and governance remains a top most priority of Global Rights.
The Executive Director who pointed out that keeping sealed lips with people not showing concerned pre independence led to the problems the country is facing in the Niger Delta today, warned against the legacies of such exploitation as handed over to domestic exploiters from happening again, reason why the need to pay attention to mining activities in the country.
The objectives of the training, the Executive Director explained is to promote accountability in the Solid Minerals sector through accountability, for critical stakeholders to be able to hold Mining Companies accountable, and for participants to be able to step down and drive fiscal accountability and good governance in there Communities using technology on issues of mining in host communities.
In a presentation by Ken Henshaw, Nigeria losses as much as N9b on account of illegal mining, with 80% small scale mining in Nigeria in the Solid Minerals activities in the country, said the solid minerals mining has resulted in significant risks to the environment.
In his presentation on Understanding the legal and institutional framework for safeguarding rights of mining host communities in Nigeria, mentioned the disastrous impact by the exploitation of hydrocarbons, Small, small scale and unregulated mining in the Niger Delta, added that lead poisoning has resulted to death of 400 kids in Zamfara in 2010 and another 300 deaths afterwards.
Mr. Ken looked at the 1999 constitution, Nigerians Minerals Act 2007, land use act and that of Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, as major Legal and regulatory frameworks, called for a clearly defined place of the mining host communities, in terms of protection, respect and allow communities access to revenue