Foreigners Freely Cart Away Nigeria’s Natural Resources, As Citizens Get Poorer – Global Rights
By Juliet Ukanwosu
The Executive Director of Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu, has lamented the poor management of Nigeria’s solid minerals sector which has left citizens, particularly host communities poorer, while foreigners continue to ferry away the country’s natural resources.
Baiyewu stated this in Abuja at the opening of a two-day training for journalists on mining and host community rights, organized by Global Rights with support of Ford Foundation.
According to her, the training aims to equip journalists with the knowledge and skills necessary for informed and responsible reporting on mining and host community rights in Nigeria.
Baiyewu, who called on the present administration to keep its promise of developing the mining sector to diversity the economy, stressed that Nigeria’s natural resources are being carted away by foreigners while citizens are left poorer and host communities rights neglected.
She explained that the objective of the training was to create a culture of human rights by building the capacity of journalists to amplify the voices of marginalized persons and communities with a view to transforming the society.
The training brought together over 40 journalists who were taken through various topics by subject matter experts. Participants also learnt effective strategies for navigating the complex issues in the mining sector especially as it affects mining host communities, through interactive sessions, case studies, and practical exercises.
Some of the topics include Mining and insecurity in Nigeria; Managing Nigeria’s critical minerals: Avoiding the green resource curse; Understanding mining; Legal framework for mining; Legal framework for protection of rights as well panel sessions on host communities’ rights and protection of the rights.
Speaking on host communities’ rights in her presentation titled, ‘Mining and insecurity in Nigeria’, Baiyewu stated that mining host communities continue to suffer from economic marginalization despite the wealth generated from the resources in their communities, often leading to conflicts and displacement of people from their ancestral communities.
She said: “High level of poverty, and unemployment in mining regions contributes to the allure of artisan mining. The degradation of land and water resources exacerbates existing vulnerabilities leading to conflicts over access to these essential resources.
She emphasized the need for reliable geological data, enforceable regulations, enhanced community engagement, improved funding and promotion of sustainable artisanal mining as some key elements required to end illegal mining, environmental degradation and revenue loss, while ensuring benefit transfer to host communities.
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