Ebonyi: Row over mining sites, mineral deposits

EGWUAGHA AMARACHUKWU reports the attendant row over mining sites in Ebonyi state, after the arrest of seven miners last week, and also takes a look at the common saying that mineral deposits in Ebonyi is a curse rather than blessing
Mineral deposit a blessing or curse Mineral deposit can either be a blessing or a curse to communities it is located depending on how it is handled.
In Ebonyi state, the land is blessed with mineral resources ranging from led, zinc, copper and so on, but management of the resources is becoming a problem.
Leasing procedures Following this development, the state government came up with a law stating that for a mining site to be leased to any mining company they should first go through the community from where it would be taken to the local government authority then to the state which will now give finial certificate after the needful has been done.
By so doing government will ensured peace and order in the community and smooth management of the resources.
Considering this fact the state government last Tuesday arrested seven miners from a mining site in Amata Akpoha community in Afi kpo North Local government area of the state.
The site was leased to Asphalt Unity Construction Company by some members of the community.
Blueprint learnt that it was alleged that the land which is about 13.4 hectares was leased at the tune of 19million naira without following the laid down procedures by state government.
Arrest of miners This prompted the arrest of the miners by state government as the team was led by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor David Umahi , on Internal Security, Dr Kenneth Ugbala, Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Engr.
Francis Orji, the three Special advisers to the governor on Solid minerals and a team of security men from both police and Army.
Speaking during the arrest at the mining site, Dr Ugbala, said that the arrest was necessitated due to the violation of the state law on mining by some members of the community, adding it was also to ensure maintenance of law and order in the state.
Violating laws of Ebonyi state government According to him, “we are here in a team led by myself and Honourable Commissioner of Solid Minerals Ebonyi state, because it came to our knowledge that some communities and companies are violating the laws of Ebonyi state government concerning the procedures of going into mining in the state.
“Ebonyi state government has streamlined the procedures that should be followed when any company wants to go into mining first you go through the communities pass through the local government and you get final approval from the office of the commissioner for solid minerals.
“But here there is a confl ict and we learned that some members of this community collected money without the knowledge of the government and government of Ebonyi state directed that people should keep away from the land and follow the normal procedure.
“But to our surprise we came here and in our routine check and inspection we found out that some people have violated the directives of Ebonyi state government.
We are here to make sure the law is maintained, we are here to make sure we get those that are involved and we are here to let the villagers know that when government says this is the directives that it should be followed.
“We equally want the company know that we are not in haste to sale the feature of our children.
Ugbala who also maintained that selling off the minerals resources in the state would affect the state “especially now that federal government is talking of restructuring” said, Leave empty account for our children “Selling all this solid minerals now government is talking about restructuring, what is the point of our argument about this restructuring, the oil is drying fast so they should not think that they will sack the economy and leave empty account for our children in feature.
“We want the community to know that when the normal procedure is followed then they will benefit more.
We don’t want some fast individuals in the community to collect money, defraud companies and start using the money they collected to make troubles so we are here to make sure that Is that this site is sealed off , nobody should enter it until the state government through the ministry of solid minerals gives further directives.
The culprits had been arrested and we are taken them along to make sure the law has its effects on them.
“We are going to deploy enough security men in this place to make sure there is law and order.
We don’t want the villagers to panic their is no trouble here we just want to ensure that laws are followed”.
He said.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Solid Minerals Orji said, “we as a ministry had earlier sealed off this place through the office of the attorney general, it is a big shock to us even me I’m surprised that equipment and men are already mobilized to commence work in a site that has already been sealed by the ministry in conjunction with the ministry of Justice.
This company has no business being in this place “Also we found out that the mining lease given to this company is written Onicha LGA.
I have taken time to go through their documents and found out that this company has no business being in this place because the mining lease is written Onicha LGA not Afi kpo North and so I have difficulty to comprehend why they are here.
They are completely here on illegality, trespass and violation of the state government directives on mining.
On his part the Coordinator Amoha Development Center, Elder David Egwu, alleged that chief Omo-Isu the former lawmaker who represented Afi kpo North /South Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, along some other members of the community illegally leased the land to the mining company.
That the land they leased to the company is a farm land belonging to five clans that made up the community thereby making it difficult for them to use their land.
Community land His word: “This site is in Amata, we do rotational planting here, we have Onyiagu Ukpa,Ukpa Ezi,Edaka,Nkala Ezi, and alike.
The whole of the land they took cuts across this place which means we have no land to farm.
“The economy of this land is being damaged.
“The land is one hundred and thirty something point hectares of land’ it has being mortgaged by this people.
“Omo-Isu who is from Amaogu not even from here and some people who is from Amata here leased the sold the land on 3rd February.
“We have written to the state government, the police and to the SSS, but the most annoying thing is that somebody has lost his life here, one Omezue Patrick Okpara, from Amata here in Ezi MBA last month because of the sharing of the money.
“Government gave directive that nobody should enter the land, Omo -Isu, Igwe Ele and others said the governor should not decide for them which the governor said he is not deciding what happened to community land but let there be peace that he would not want trouble anywhere in the state.
“In Mining law or act you don’t give beyond four pedestal unit, do you know that this company is bigger than Julius beggar.
What did they give? 13 point something pedestal unit.
“We discovered that all those papers they have are all fake.
The coordinator further alleged that the company’s intention was to claim ownership of the land.
“Another information we got is that what the company plan is ownership of that land not lease as soon as they fi nish they will go for Certificate of Ownership of the land.
Mortgaging the feature of our people “We have five clans and that is how our lands are portioned, it is only one kindred that does not have portion of land there.
Why should you give the entire land of the village out, thereby mortgaging the feature of our people.
“Again we had meeting on the 3rd of January the whole Akpoha general assembly nobody new that a company was coming, on the night of that day around 9.00pm they went and collected the money two of them sold the land.
As a coordinator am not awe, government is not awe and government has a law that before any company comes into a community they must go to them ,have meeting and an agreement be reached.
Why will Omo-Isu collect money, he is no longer the chairman of Akpoha Mining committee, he just handed over November last year, and mining committee is once after five year.
A stakeholder from the community who spoke to our Correspondent on anonymity said, “it is always good to be truthful the man who died in that land as claimed by the coordinator was not as a result of the mining issue, but was killed over a month ago as a result of his greedy act among towards his brother’s.
“ Late Omezue Patrick Okpara, leased the kindred land to some women for farming purposes but refused to share the money to the coland owners it was at the process that he was murdered not mining issue”.
Meanwhile, Chief Omo-Isu could not be reached for his own side of the story as at the time of this report.