By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
Ebonyi State Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Chidi Onyia, has strongly criticized the disregard shown by mining companies toward host communities in the state.
In an interview with SpringNews in Abakaliki, Commissioner Onyia expressed deep concern over the fact that host communities have been denied their rightful benefits from the mineral resources extracted from their land.
He emphasized that some stakeholders collaborate with major companies to divert these benefits away from the intended recipients.
“Most of the host communities are being deprived of the benefits they are supposed to get, from what is gotten from their land.
“There is what is called Community Development Agreement but we discovered that most stakeholders do liaise with some of these big companies, to make sure that actual benefits doesn’t get to the targeted landlords, persons or community.
“So we have been interfacing with the community, the companies, we have gotten a quite lots of informations, which in a very short while we will swing to action, because there is no way, you will be harvesting these materials and the community will be at the receiving end negatively.
“And we have to consider the impact, going further, it is part of the governor’s manifesto, that the interest of the host communities should come first, before the IGR that the government collect, ours come second.
“We discovered that some selfish persons have been sitting on the rights of their people, and as a Ministry even if it is the only thing we achieve, we are going to go all out to make sure that the host communities, the landlord benefits from what is stipulated by the law.”
Onyia warned that those sabotaging the interests of the community, adding that they indirectly sabotages the government itself.
The Commissioner announced significant achievements in attracting more local and foreign investors in Ebonyi State, where the resources, if properly harnessed, could greatly benefit the state. He also expressed concerns about the lack of a mineral testing laboratory and the need for accurate data collection of natural deposits in the State.
Addressing issues of revenue collection, Onyia revealed that the ministry contributes 60% of the state’s internally generated revenue.
“When we came on ground, we discovered that they were so many leakages in the IGR Collection, we discovered that most of the operators in the were involved in diversion of materials, just to make sure that, they don’t pay the necessary IGR. And that led to the arrest of some trucks landed with Lead and Zinc, and other associated minerals. So fad we have arrested like 18 trucks.” He stated.
Additionally, Onyia disclosed to SpringNews that plans are on the top gear by the State government to establish Processing Plants in State, to enable the State process it natural materials and ensure that the State benefits from the 13% revenue accrued from minerals leaving the region.
“When we have it, every mineral before leaving Ebonyi State, will have Ebonyj as the State of origin, then we will be entitled to ask the federal government for the 13% that is accrued to us.
“Currently, it is Lagos, Port Harcourt, and those other States that have sea ports that are benefitting from it,” he said.