By Brenda Chidinma Imo-Eze
The Ameka community in Ezza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State is to benefit from N35 million earmarked for scholarships, apprenticeship and skills acquisition under a Community Development Agreement (CDA) with First Patriots Limited.
The development commitments include N20 million for scholarships, N10 million for apprenticeship and skills acquisition, and N5 million for the Ameka women’s August meeting. The company also presented ten motorcycles to the community’s security outfit.
The Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development, Chief Chinedu Nkah, disclosed this during the ceremonial flag-off and presentation of the development commitments by the mining company to the community.
Nkah, however, warned community leaders against diverting or mismanaging funds and other benefits accruing to mining host communities, insisting that the state government would no longer tolerate the non-disclosure of payments made by mining companies to a few community leaders.
He said the government had strengthened its oversight of mining-related community benefits to ensure that host communities received tangible returns from the exploitation of their mineral resources.
“In the past, mining communities were cheated and ripped off. We want communities in Ebonyi State to begin to benefit from companies mining in their areas. That is the essence of the CDA,” the commissioner said.
He disclosed that the ministry had directed mining companies to notify the state government before making any presentation to host communities, stressing that all transactions must be transparent and properly documented.
“Under my watch as Commissioner for Solid Minerals, I have told all the mining companies that, before you make any presentation, we must be aware. The community must be aware. It is no longer business as usual,” he said.
The commissioner also cautioned the Ameka community against announcing scholarship beneficiaries without following the prescribed verification and approval procedures.
He explained that the ministry had not received the proposed scholarship list before the ceremony and would not validate the number of beneficiaries until the necessary consultations and verification had been completed.
Nkah called for realistic scholarship commitments, noting that available funds must correspond with the number of students to be supported. He said the beneficiary lists would be submitted to the ministry for review, with community representatives and the ministry’s technical committee participating in the process.
He also announced plans for a meeting between First Patriots Limited and Ameka community leaders to address development concerns, particularly the poor state of infrastructure in the mining area.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the condition of the road leading to the community, Nkah said the presence of mineral resources should translate into measurable improvements in residents’ living conditions.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Ameka Community Development Agreement Implementation Committee, Mr Chibueze Uguru, said the committee had worked to promote peaceful mining operations and ensure compliance with the agreement between the community and First Patriots Limited.
Uguru said the committee had harmonised competing interests among landowners, established a community security structure and helped restore calm at the mining site.
He added that the company had paid outstanding allowances to the traditional ruler and fulfilled other financial commitments under the agreement, including an annual N2 million provision for the traditional ruler and his cabinet and N1 million for the ward councillor.
The committee chairman said receipts were available to support the payments and appealed to residents and stakeholders to support the CDA, stressing that peaceful mining operations and cooperation were necessary to translate the community’s mineral wealth into sustainable development.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Ameka Town Union Caretaker Committee, Justice Paul Elechi, described the initiative as a significant milestone for the community.
Elechi said the scholarship programme would support the educational aspirations of residents and urged the government and First Patriots Limited to ensure that deserving students benefited.
He said the community had reviewed its proposed beneficiaries to ensure representation across its four villages and kindred groups, urging the ministry to consider the list through the established approval process.
The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Chief Oguzor Offia-Nwali, commended the community and the company for pursuing a structured development arrangement.
He said the state government’s policy was aimed at ensuring that mineral exploitation produced tangible benefits for host communities, urging Ameka residents to cooperate with the government and the mining company while holding the operator accountable for its obligations.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of First Patriots Limited, Mr Satyanarayana Penneru, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to implementing the CDA in collaboration with the Ameka community and the state government.
Penneru pledged that the company would ensure transparency in fulfilling its obligations and work with relevant stakeholders to deliver the agreed interventions.
Former member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Mr Emmanuel Aleke, commended the state government, community leaders, youths and security personnel for their participation in the initiative.
Mr Godwin Nwogha said the initiative formed part of broader efforts to strengthen oversight of mining operations and ensure that Community Development Agreements delivered measurable social and economic benefits to host communities.