NGO, Stakeholders Accuse FG, Others Of ‘Exploiting’ Mining Communities

A Non-Governmental Organization, Global Rights, has accused the federal government and critical stakeholders of exploiting mining communities, including taking decisions without carrying host communities along. Addressing participants at the Third West African Mining Host Community “Indaba” in Abuja on Wednesday, the Executive Director, Global Rights, Abiodun Baiyewu, said, due to faulty governance systems, the extraction and trade of the resources found in mining communities often fuel conflicts, corruption and violence, hence the need to find solutions to the menace.  She said: “Annually, across several platforms across the world, governments and mining companies gather to decide our fate. The fate of our ancestral lands and of our children yet unborn. At these confabs, the people most impacted – extractive host communities are excluded. How do you decide for us without us? Afterall, we are the ones who know where the shoe pinches. We are the ones whose lands are desecrated, whose resilience are weakened. We are the ones. “So, we chose to represent ourselves, to give ourselves agency to decide our own future as the African Mining Vision and African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights has accorded us in Sections 20-22. This annual gathering unites us as a people to deliberate and find solutions to the common challenges that we are confronted with as West Africans. It is a platform for open and inclusive dialogue where ideas, experiences, and solutions are shared collectively. “We have also chosen to invite governments and mining companies. Perhaps, if they listen to us and dialogue with us, they might finally understand the powers that we have so generously bestowed on them are to protect our rights. Perhaps, they might understand afresh that the security of states start with the security of the people within the state, and adopt a human security paradigm to address the challenges around the efficient exploitation of our resources. “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that the wealth of West Africa’s minerals benefits the many, rather than the few and that it becomes a catalyst for peace, development and progress.” Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Dr Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, said there is need for the creation of a unique tax force for the mining sector to combat insecurity and other issues affecting it.

Tinubu Swears In 3 New Cabinet Members

President Bola Tinubu administered the oath of office to three new ministers during the second Federal Executive Council meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday. The newly appointed cabinet members are as follows: Malam Balarabe Lawal from Kaduna State as the Minister of Environment, Jamila Bio-Ibrahim from Kwara as the Minister of Youths, and Ayodele Olawande from Ondo as the Minister of State for Youths. These appointments follow the creation of the Ministry of Youths, with Tinubu nominating these individuals to lead it and serve as a replacement for former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai. Recall that El-Rufai’s nomination was previously rejected during the Senate ministerial screening due to a petition against him. Tinubu, who chaired the FEC meeting, oversaw the swearing-in ceremony and also posed for photographs with the new cabinet members. The council also observed a minute of silence in honor of Late Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun, a former member of the cabinet who served as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. This second FEC meeting further solidified the administration’s commitment to delivering on its “Renewed Hope Agenda” and addressing the eight-point economic agenda unveiled by President Tinubu during the inaugural meeting held in August. The Federal Executive Council serves as a constitutional institution where government policies are discussed and endorsed by ministers, with the President serving as the Chairman and the Vice President as the Vice Chairman.

Economy, Social Issues Top Agenda As Tinubu Presides Over 2nd FEC Meeting

The Federal Executive Council meeting is scheduled for today, Monday. Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, announced this to State House Correspondents. President Bola Tinubu will chair the meeting, with the attendance of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief of Staff to the President, and various Ministers. Other high-ranking government officials, such as the Head of Service of the Federation and Special Advisers, will also be present. Ngelale highlighted that this second edition of the meeting during this administration will address matters related to the president’s approvals concerning economic and social issues. The inaugural meeting took place in August, where new ministers received their initial briefings on their roles and responsibilities in the Renewed Hope Agenda. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) is a constitutional institution where government policies are deliberated and endorsed by Ministers. The President serves as the Chairman, while the Vice President serves as the Vice Chairman.