By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
Women of Effeche-Akpali community in Ugbokolo, Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State have called on the Dangote Coal Mining Company to urgently remediate their land, which they say has been severely degraded by mining activities.
The call was made in a statement after the women, alongside the Executive Coordinator of Green Leaf Advocacy and Empowerment Center, Nelly Umoren, led journalists on a tour of the abandoned mining site.
Speaking at the site, a community representative, Mrs. Virginia Abah, said the mining operations led to the loss of arable farmland, worsening the already harsh economic realities for women who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.
“Our land is our life. Since the mining began, we’ve faced food scarcity, poverty, and rising conflicts over farmland. The environmental degradation over the past five years has been devastating, pollution of air, land, and water has affected our crops, caused strange diseases, and reduced yields,” she said.
Abah further lamented that the once fertile land has now been reduced to craters, gullies, and sand dunes, with erosion and silting threatening the community’s water sources.
“Dangote Coal Mining Company must return and carry out a thorough remediation of this land,” she insisted.
Confirming the community’s agreement with the company, the Kindred Head of Effeche-Akpali, Chief Samuel Ameh, said 62 hectares of land were leased to the company for five years under a Community Development Agreement (CDA) which included provisions for post-mining remediation.
“Some promised projects were completed, but many are still pending. I refused to sign additional land over to them because they have not fulfilled their obligation to remediate the already used site,” Chief Ameh said.
He added “They must also conduct a Post-Impact Assessment (PIA).”
Also speaking during the visit, Nelly Umoren of Green Leaf Advocacy expressed shock at the level of environmental damage and questioned why regulatory agencies like NESREA and the Benue State Ministry of Environment have not intervened.
“It is unacceptable,” she said. “Women, you have the right to a clean and safe environment. Organise and advocate to visit NESREA and your local government chairman. Environmental sustainability is key to peace and progress.”
