Is it a story for the marines? That a foreign mining company came into the country, took a portion of land, and began mining and no one; local government council, Federal Capital Territory Administration, security operatives etc etc knew for a year? Surely a story for the gods!
If the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammad Bello, cannot rein in the activities of a Chinese Mining Company, Hongao Mining Company, polluting the water supply of communities in the territory he has control over, on behalf of the President of the country, who can?
The million Naira question continues to boggle after the minister dragged the offending company before his Water Resources counterpart, Mr. Suleiman Adamu.
Painfully, the minister disclosed that the company , which is hosted by the communities, is protected in its nefarious activity by Nigerian policemen.
On a visit to Adamu, last week, Bello even disclosed that Hongao has no mining lease, acting against Nigeria’s mining policy! Yet the company has been operating, under the nose of Nigerian authorities, of all places, in Abuja!
Recall that the activities of miners, where Chinese and unnamed prominent Nigerians are alleged to employ bandits to divert attention and secure their illegal activities, has been fingered as one of the factors escalating the security situation in the northwest.
Bello, according to media reports, told Adamu that Hongao operates with the water from a stream in Kutasa in Karshi area of the FCT while being protected by officers of the Nigerian police force.
“The stream is the only water source for at least six communities in the area. The villagers, mostly farmers, said some of them drink from it.
“A laboratory analysis carried out on the water confirmed that it is highly turbid and unfit for drinking.
“An analysis done at the FCT water board, Okobi O. Y. who signed the report on behalf of the general manager, said the ‘physio-chemical analysis shows high levels of turbidity, nitrate and iron’ and that ‘water may need further treatment’.”
A director at Hongao, Austine Akpuma, in an interview with TheCable admitted the company was using the water in washing excavated stones.
He, however, gave security challenge as an excuse for not providing a borehole since they started operation in 2019.
The spokesman of the ministry of water resources, Kenechukwu Offie, said in a statement that the two ministers and officials of the Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission, NIWRMC, met in Abuja to discuss the development.
He said the FCT minister, “noted with dismay that the company undertaking the mining activities in Kutasa Community was not granted lease to mine gold in that Community”.
On his part, Mr Adamu told the session that he directed the NIWRMC to investigate the matter after he learnt of the development.
The statement read: “The outcome of the investigation revealed that ‘Gold’ mining activities were taking place in that Community.
“Engr. Adamu said that the report from Nigeria Integrated Water Resources Management Commission indicated ‘a red flag’ to us that must not be allowed to fly further.
“Engr. Adamu, therefore, reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources will not allow the experience of Niger State where people died of lead poisoning to repeat itself in FCT.
“The FCT Minister corroborated the Hon. Minister of Water Resources’s position that their various reports would need to be harmonised into a working document before they take up the matter with the Minister of Mines and Steel Development.”
On its part, the NIWRMC vowed to ensure that Hongao Mining Company Ltd provides an alternative water supply for the community after indicting the company for water pollution.
The NIWRMC executive director, Magashi Bashir, said: “For us, in terms of integrated water resources management, a polluter pays.
“They have to go and clean that river or they pay for the cleaning of that river to come back to its original state. They have committed something and they are liable to it.”
Additional reports by TheCable