INJUSTICE: Niger Deltans Involve In Crude Oil, Jailed Whereas Zamfara Still Mine Gold – Sara-Igbe

Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe is the Coordinator, South-South Elders’ Forum and a prominent Niger Delta activist. In this interview with DENNIS NAKU, he echoes the opinion of the region on the unrestricted mining of gold in Zamfara State, the National Water Resources Bill and other burning national issues
What do you think about the unrestricted mining of gold in Zamfara State viz-a-viz what is happening with oil refining in the Niger Delta?
These are some of the issues that made us in the Niger Delta region work together with the Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the middle-belt to insist on restructuring. There are two sets of law. The Petroleum Act and the Mining Act. While one set of law allows those who are doing mining to go there, mine and take the money all for themselves, the other law restricts the people from mining the oil found on their land, in their soil and they cannot even go near it. Soldiers are deployed to go after those asking or agitating for benefits and the people suffer the pollution. We have several cases of mining; if you go to Kogi State, you will see people mining iron, people mining granite, people mining marble. All kinds of mineral resources are being mined up North.
They can declare them illegal miners but nobody has ever been jailed for mining. Whereas in the South here, those who are involved in petroleum have been accused, jailed or killed. We are calling for restructuring, because we believe that Nigeria is blessed. Every part of this country is blessed with one mineral resource or the other. There is no mineral that is not in Nigeria, including uranium, which is one of the best minerals that is used in atomic energy. We have them in Nigeria. We have gold and gold is costlier than oil. We have zinc, we have iron ore, all kinds.
Even in the past we were importing mud for drilling but today we have sufficient mud locally. We were importing cement before, but today we are no longer importing cement. We are producing cement locally. And who is doing the mining? Cc:@punchnewspapers