Host communities in Cross River State have intensified demands for greater transparency, equitable benefits and stronger participation in limestone mining activities in Akamkpa and Akpabuyo local government areas, citing decades of environmental degradation, inadequate compensation and exclusion from decisions affecting their ancestral lands.

The renewed calls were made during a dialogue involving residents of Mbobui, Akansoko, Abiati, Mfamosing and Akwa Ikot Efanga communities, at the Mbobui town hall under the Strengthening Women in Mining (SWIM) project.

Participants at the meeting expressed concern over what they described as persistent neglect of host communities, despite the enormous economic value generated from limestone extraction in the area.

Executive director of We The People (WTP), Ken Henshaw, said Cross River remains one of the major mining states, yet communities hosting extraction sites have continued to bear the environmental and social costs without receiving commensurate benefits.

Henshaw disclosed that preliminary investigations conducted by his organisation in 2021 uncovered what he described as a long history of abuses and inequalities associated with mining operations in the affected communities.

He said residents continue to contend with environmental pollution, health hazards, destruction of livelihoods, damaged infrastructure and limited opportunities to participate in decisions concerning mining activities on their lands.

He lamented that successive mining companies have taken over operations many years ago while host communities remained passive observers with little influence over agreements that directly impact their welfare.

Henshaw argued that whatever benefits mining companies provide should not be regarded as acts of charity but as legitimate entitlements arising from the exploitation of community resources.

He maintained that communities should play a central role in determining the terms of mineral extraction and the benefits accruing from such activities rather than being sidelined by corporate interests.

The WTP executive director alleged that both the Cross River government and host communities may have suffered financial losses from mining operations, claiming available data suggested that royalties and statutory payments may have been significantly underreported.

He estimated that government could be losing as much as 300 percent of revenues due from mining operations, and stressed that empowering communities to monitor extraction activities will improve accountability and revenue collection.

Also, policy alert consultant and SWIM poroject resource person, Mfon Gabriel, called for the negotiation of a comprehensive Community Development Agreement (CDA) ahead of the anticipated renewal of Lafarge’s mining licence in 2027.

Gabriel alleged that the agreement signed in 2003 remained largely unimplemented, leaving host communities without many of the development projects and social benefits expected from decades of mining operations.

He insisted that any future agreement should be negotiated with the informed consent of host communities and should adequately reflect the economic value generated from the exploitation of their natural resources.

Gabriel also alleged that the six host communities have been exploited and denied their fair share of mining benefits over the past two decades, describing the situation as unjust and unsustainable.

He called for independent environmental audits of mining activities, citing complaints of dust pollution, degradation of farmlands and inadequate compensation for destroyed economic trees and other affected assets.

The consultant urged the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to undertake on-site assessments to determine whether mining operators are complying with environmental regulations.

Offering a different perspective, a stakeholder from Abiati community, Raphael Effiong, acknowledged concerns over the distribution of mining benefits but said local contractors and community leaders should also share responsibility for some of the shortcomings.

Effiong urged contractors handling community projects to prioritise local employment and deliver quality infrastructure, while calling on the six host communities to unite and hold their representatives accountable as discussions continue over the future of mining operations and licence renewals expected in 2027. (Nigerian Tribune)