Edo North, gold hub of the South-south

Today, Edo North is now the gold district of Edo State and South-south Nigeria yet there is no good road in Edo North. Edo State needs a laboratory to test solid minerals. Gold deposits, economic diversification, and illegal mining are risks in Edo North, specifically areas like Ososo, Ojirami, Dangbala, Atte and Uneme Eruru in Akoko-Edo. Gold is mined in Ogbido, Uluoke, Iyuku, Imekhe all in Uzairue, Etsako West. Okpella remains the centre of gold mining in Etsako East. There is presence of gold in Owan East and Owan West local governments. There are many companies operating in Edo North.

Various groups compete for illegal mining of gold deposit. Unauthorised mining activities in Akoko Edo, Etsako West, Etsako East, Owan East and Owan West local government areas in Edo State continue to peak as non-state groups struggle over the unregulated gold mining sites. And this has continued to fuel the rising threat within and around the area.

Edo North gold belt hosts multiple cement plants—specifically three operated by BUA Group and one by Dangote Group—primarily concentrated around Okpella in the Etsako East Local Government Area. BUA Group Plants: Operates multiple major cement production lines/plants in Okpella, including the revived Edo Cement factory and expanded modern production facilities. Dangote Cement Plant: Maintains a strategic, high-capacity manufacturing plant in Okpella. Additional Plants: Planned or emerging footprints extend the tally in the region, such as developments targeting areas like Egbetua-Ososo in Akoko-Edo.

 Arguably, the human capital deficits in Okpella, Etsako East, Ososo, Dangbala and Uneme Eruru, Akoko- Edo and lack of effective government presence in mining areas are push-factors to the cut-throat engagement of the local population in a quest for sustenance and survival. Adequate government regulations will, to a large extent, address the losses to illegal mining. Part of the revenue accruing from regulated mining should be used to drive development in the area. If the Federal Government can maximise revenue from mining activities, it can fund developmental projects that will improve the living condition of the people. Without a government-led and community-centred approach, illegal mining and conflicts in Nigeria’s unofficial theatre of war will continue to reinforce each other and pose numerous existential crisis in the region

Gold Locations: Donald identified commercial and artisanal gold deposits across areas such as Dangbala, Atte, and Ososo in the Akoko-Edo, Etsako West, Etsako East, Owan East and Owan West local government areas of Edo North.

Illegal Mining Security Risks: I must warn about the influx of thousands of illegal miners into Edo-North communities. There are environmental damages and security threats mirrored challenges seen in northwestern Nigeria.

Regulatory Failure: My investigations pointed out that illegal mining operations and foreign incursions were often exacerbated by local regulatory gaps and complicity among local actors.

Economic Potential: I want to highlight that illicit risks and harnessing solid minerals like gold and marble properly could vastly diversify Edo State’s revenue away from over-reliance on oil.

The mining of solid minerals in Edo State has been controversial. There is no laboratory to test the type of solid minerals that companies are mining in Edo North. There is no database to know the number of companies that are operating in solid mineral sector in Edo North. Which are the companies that bought solid mineral deposits in Edo North? The Federal Government cannot give account of the revenue from the mining of solid minerals in Edo North. The people of Edo North have not benefitted from the derivation from solid mineral. The Federal Government has given approval for the implementation of the constitutionally guaranteed 13 per cent derivation from mineral revenues to deserving states. States with active mining of solid minerals in their domains are to receive 13 per cent derivation revenue, just as their counterparts in oil and gas producing areas. There is no road today to the gold district of South-South Nigeria.

From pre-independence to post-independence, Obu River has been a gold mining area of Etsako in Afemai land. Akoko Edo and Ihievbe-Ogbe Owan East are also gold mining areas in Afemai land of Edo North. I challenge companies which are in Edo North to provide a laboratory for testing of solid minerals in Nigeria if actually they are sincere in their mining operations. The mining in Edo North is beyond gold and limestone because it has exposed the corruption in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector where there is no laboratory to test the solid mineral you are exporting.

Edo State needs a database for all mining sites most especially gold mining sites. Government should go beyond the protection and lifting of the ban on gold mining in Dagbala Community, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state. I want to appeal to the Edo State government to investigate how much revenue Edo is getting as derivation from solid minerals. Despite the fact that gold, diamond, marbles and other solid minerals are being mined in Akoko Edo and there is no record to show that these minerals are among the mined or exported minerals in Edo State. My further finding shows that gold and other solid minerals are mined in Etsako West, Etsako East, Owan East, Owan West and Akoko Edo local government areas, they are also purchased by multinational oil companies as drill fluids, despite high activities of miners there are no records of royalty payments and derivations paid to Edo State. The government needs to find out the powerful individuals that now control solid mineral deposits in Edo. The truth today is that potential investors cannot get deposits to mine even after obtaining mining license from the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals in Abuja.

The challenge before the Edo State government is to ascertain how many companies have illegally bought the solid mineral deposits in the state. How comes that investors with licenses have no deposits to mine in Edo? How many companies are operating in the Edo solid minerals? How many companies are paying taxes and royalties to the federation account? How much revenue is Edo State receiving from the federation account as derivation from solid minerals? In terms of corporate social responsibility, what are the companies doing in their various host communities?

Inwalomhe Donald,

Ososo, Akoko-Edo, Edo State

[email protected]