Date Published: 09/24/09

2000 rise in Jos to defend their environment

OVER 2000 volunteers from 60 communities in Jos, the Plateau State capital, have put their lives on the line, vowing that they will no longer allow their environment to be degraded by mining corporations.

Their argument is that the current crisis in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's main oil and gas region, is largely due to the unbearable environmental terror of the transnational oil corporations.

Their resolve however, came about as a result of an initiative by civil society organisations, representatives of tin mine-impacted communities and media representatives who met on September 22, 2009 at the headquarters of the League of Human Rights, Jos, for the inaugural meeting of the Host Community Network (HoCoN), Jos chapter.  

The meeting was organised by the foremost environmental rights advocacy network, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria in conjunction with the League of Human Rights to strengthen local communities’ ability to monitor and record changes  in their environment in order to take appropriate steps to prevent violation of the environment or seek redress whenever such occurs.

HoCoN was initiated by ERA/FoEN in 2007.

In his opening remarks,  ERA's Project Officer, Philip Jakpor,  said unmitigated tin mining has been identified with devastating impacts on water, agriculture and dislocation of host communities hence the need for impacted people to mobilize and take appropriate actions that will lead to remediation.

In his welcome address, Acting Director of the hosting human rights group, Shamaki Gad Peter, said the issue of environment is a human rights issue and over the years there has been little or no attention given to the issue by government and other stakeholders on the Plateau. Therefore this initiative is an opportunity for community activists and other stakeholders to rethink and take a second look on the effect of tin mining on the Plateau.

At the end of the meeting, participants observed that:

·       Unregulated mining activity in the Jos Plateau has created environmental problems with grave impacts on the health and local livelihoods in host communities.

·       There is low public awareness on the environmental challenges and plight of tin mine-impacted communities in the Jos Plateau

·       Laws regulating mining activity in the country are either obsolete or poorly enforced

·       Ecology Funds meant for remediation in tin mine-impacted communities have not been used for the purpose to the detriment of the impacted communities  

·       A comprehensive environmental audit of tin mine-impacted communities in the Jos Plateau

·       A repeal of the Land Use Act which has disenfranchised community people and made demands for compensation impossible

·       The prosecution of government officials found to have  misappropriated Ecological Funds meant for Plateau State

·       All stakeholders-communities, civil society groups, government agencies, the media, among others work collaboratively to expose unsound environmental practices

·       Awareness creation on the environmental degradation in communities that host tin mines

·       Building of the capacity of impacted communities to take lawful actions to obtain ecological justice and compensation where need be

·       Freedom of Information Bill as originally conceived should be passed into law by the National Assembly to ensure access to information

·       Full implementation of the NEITI Bill and close monitoring of the extractive industry

Philip Jakpor, Shamaki Peter, and Nyam C. Shombot, Du Community, Chairman Host Community Network, Jos chapter were signatory to the communique that was issued at the end of the meeting.