… Gives committee seven days to submit actionable report

Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Mary Ogbe (both middle) with the fact-finding team after a press briefing and inauguration of the fact-finding team constituted to mediate in the face-off between Osun State Government and Segilola Resources Operating Limited (SROL), on Wednesday in Abuja

BY AKUDORO GLORIA

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has inaugurated an eight-member committee to resolve gold mining conflict between the Osun State Government and Segilola Resources Operating Limited (SROL).

The committee, he said, is expected to probe the nature of the face-off and provide actionable recommendations for resolving the conflict, with a view to fostering mutual understanding and ensuring sustainable mining practices that benefits both the state and the company.

Alake gave the charge while speaking during the inauguration of the investigative committee at the Ministry, on Wednesday in Abuja

Membership of the committee consists of: Engr. Imam A. Ganiyu, Director, Mines Inspectorate of the Ministry (Chairman); Dr. Dele Kelvin Oye, representative of NACCIMA (Vice Chairman); Mr. Pwol Dareng, Asst. Director, Organized Private Sector (OPS) of the Ministry (Secretary).

Other members of the Committee include: Dr. Vivian Okono, Director, Mines Environmental Compliance of the Ministry; Mrs. N. C. Odili, Director Legal of the Ministry; Tayo Koleosho, Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman, FIRS; Zubeir S. Abubakar, representative of Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and Representatives of Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

During the inauguration, Alake listed the objectives of the Committee to include: identify the root causes of the disagreement between the Osun State Government and Segilola Resources Operating Limited, review the contractual obligations and agreements between both parties, assess the socio-economic, environmental, and legal aspects of the operations, evaluate the impact of the company’s operations on the host communities and the entire state economy, propose solutions that ensure the continuation of mining activities while safeguarding the interests of the state and the affected communities, and make recommendations to enable Government take informed decisions to resolve the lingering dispute between SRSL and OSSG.

The Minister also gave a timeframe of seven (7) days for the probe committee to submit its final report bearing in mind the need to allow the mining company to continue with its operations because of the economic consequences of the closure.

Recall that last week, the Minister in his first briefing on the dispute between both parties, stressed federal government’s efforts towards attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the sector and emphasized the negative impact the indiscriminate closures of mining operations by sub-nationals will pose.

Restated the Ministry’s stand, Alake said, “I did like to reaffirm our position that though mining companies must obey all laws and regulations guiding their operations such as payment of taxes, environmental regulations, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) amongst others, it is our firm belief that sub-national authorities do not possess the power to arbitrarily shut down mining operations because the mining of  liquid or solid minerals belongs in the exclusive list, within the purview of the Federal Government, to regulate, legislate and direct.”

In a statement issued by the Special Assistant to the Minister on Media, Segun Tomori, the Minister underscored the peculiarities of the mining environment and the need to collaborate with sub-nationals, hence the leeway provided for states to apply for mining licenses to participate actively in the mining sector whilst taking advantage of their nominees in the Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO) to superintend over mining activities in their domain.

“MIREMCO exists in all states of the federation, and they are charged with the responsibility of ensuring compliance of mining companies with the extant regulations and laws. Out of the eight (8) members that constitute MIREMCO in each state, five (5) including the chairman are nominated by State Governments hence states are already substantially involved in the regulation of mining activities, thus, there should be no reason for constitutional violations”, Alake explained.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Mary Ogbe urged states to cooperate with the federal government to avoid disruptions in mining operations, emphasising that such actions send wrong signals to prospective investors and can be a disincentive to the needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) required to develop the sector.

Responding on behalf of the committee, the Vice-Chairman and representative of the Nigeria Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dr. Dele Oye assured the minister that the panel will serve with utmost integrity in fulfilling its terms of reference.

The Federal High Court (FHC) sitting in Akure has upheld the rights of the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to sanction oil firms by imposition of fines and appropriate sanctions for pollution.

It will be recalled that NOSDRA under the watch of the immediate past Director-General, Mr Idris Musa approached the court presided over by Hon. Justice T.B Adegoke of Court 1 of the Akure Division FHC to enforce the Nigerian Environmental Statutes by an oil firm, .SEPCOL

In a judgement on Oct. 4, the Court granted all the prayers by NOSDRA and Ondo State Ministry of Environment and part of executing their mandates of protecting the environment from oil pollution.

The reliefs sought and granted were that NOSDRA was right to approach the Court for enforcement of full compliance with Environmental Standards.

The FHC ruled that the Receiver Manager of the operating oil firm was held personally liable for the control, management and negligence of the FPSO vessel Trinity Spirit that caused the fire and explosion and Oil Spillage of Feb. 2, 2022.

The sum of N1 million fine was imposed for failure to remediate and clean up satisfactorily while N262. 5 million penalty was imposed as fine for violation of Section.1 26 of NOSDRA Act to be paid by SEPCOL.

SEPCOL should immediately collaborate with NOSDRA to commence the Post Spills Impact Assesment (PSIA) within 14 Days of the Order of Court.

SEPCOL should pay Clean Nigeria Associate (CNA), a consortium of oil spill response teams that responded to the incident their balance of N727,104.28 and $1,609.64

And SEPCOL should pay both the Agency and Ondo State Ministry of Environment the sum of N25 million as costs for instituting the Suit.

In a reaction to the development, immediate past Chief Executive Officer of NOSDRA Musa noted that the verdict was part of the legacies his leadership left behind at the oil spills management agency.

He said that under his watch at NOSDRA, the agency came tops in transparency rankings and successfully prosecuted oil firms that breach environmental laws.

BY DAVID ADUGE-ANI, ABUJA 

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has called on media organisations in the nation’s capital to increase their reportage on security and flooding in Abuja.

Minister of State  for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, who made the call when she received, in her office, the management of Nigeria Television Authority, Channel 5, in Abuja on Wednesday,  said residents in hard-to-reach communities should be well informed  on the impact of flooding and security challenges in recent times.

Mahmoud, expressed appreciation for the robust relationship the administration has enjoyed with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), noting that the station has continued to provide quality information in the media landscape.

According to her; “First, I want to express our sincere appreciation for the enduring relationship we have enjoyed with the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), the largest network in Africa.

“To state the obvious, the NTA has continued to provide quality information in the media landscape and we are truly grateful for your service to our residents at the grassroots.

“For us, our partnership has been a cornerstone of our mutual success, and we are grateful for the support and collaboration we have experienced over the years through your accurate reportage.

“Let me assure you that as we look towards the future, we are keen to further strengthen our relationship and explore new opportunities for collaboration especially in the areas of security and flooding”.

In a statement by her special assistant on media, Austine Elemue, the minister expressed the hope that significant potential would enhance the joint efforts and achieve even greater outcomes in areas of security and flooding.

Earlier in his remarks, the General Manager of NTA Channel 5, Mr. Paul Atte, noted that the station had in the past enjoyed fruitful relationship with the FCT Administration, just as he appealed for a stronger collaboration.

He pledged that despite the current challenges facing the station, the NTA Channel 5 will still uphold its standard as a “unity station”.