Tension In Ebonyi Community Over Mining As Youths Storm Site , Petitions Minister

                                      

There is tension in Umuobii Ekka community following the stoppage of work at the commercial lead mining site in Umuobii village by some angry youths protesting discrimination, neglect and violation of their rights.

On that note some stakeholders sent thugs to disperse the youths to enable the mining go on unchallenged without listening to their cries of marginalization and deprivation.

The community petitioned the Minister for Mining and Steel Development through the mining officer in Abakaliki , and the traditional ruler of Ekka community calling for a review of agreement entered into before the mining started.

 

Umuobii, Ekka Development Union in a petition to the Minister , the police and SSS signed by Chairman of the community, Nwaka Felix and President of Youths of the community, Nworie Sunday made available to the media in Onitsha yesterday said only their intervention could save the situation.

They appealed to the minister in a petition entitled ‘’Report of violation and discrimination of our rights’’  lamented that they have been assaulted , humiliated and dehumanized even in their own land since mining of lead for commercial use started in their community.

The petition read thus” ‘’ We the people of Umuobii wish to express our grief and neglect based on how we are being treated since the issue of mining project came up. We have been humiliated, assaulted and dehumanized. The kind of discrimination bestowed on us has intoxication and difficulties which is the arrangement and plans of the stake holder and our traditional rule in particular.

‘’Therefore, the initial arrangement before commencement of the work was violated and abandoned which brought about this information. There was no proper negotiation between the host village and the community at large, we have never being given official consultation or; called for dialogue. Besides, the strategic way they put the project made it to have the tendency of individual interest, which the village disagreed with, for its incompatibility, inducement, and of undue influence which might lead to oppositions.

‘’And the people of Umuobii have such perception and decided to disagree with such inhuman arrangement as it lacked mutual co-existence, no compromise, no consensus and iota of relationship of trust between the host village and stake-holders.

Umuobii people lamented that they were not carried along and were disengaged by the stakeholders during the negotiation of agreement between the mining team and the community when they supposed to be carried along.

  ‘’However, the people of Umuobii were disengaged during the preparation of agreement that will drive the mining project. God is not foolish when he planted such mineral there, we need strategies that are essential to positive approach, and we need to be carried along. We need opportunities for transformation and development. We believe that these means are to develop procedure for identifying conflict that are yet to come and put a stop to it.

Meanwhile, it is the duty of the host village to choose somebody that has no questionable character and as well allowed to hear their view in the new agreement that are yet to come because the last one lacked good representation of the host village.

‘’So the village Umuobii has suffered neglect: since creation of the earth by the community leaders, there has never being any dividend we have ever receive our share ,we have never received any portion of the community communal land, no allocation of government appointment that has ever reached our us. And we always agitate for it, and we have being struggling to be part of, and our agitation is to be allowed to be part of the decision and as to receive our percentage.

‘’In addition, the only prevention approach to combat this potential conflict is divine intervention, resolution and proper mediation at this pre-conflict stage as planned by the stake holders  and not by deploying thugs in the arena of the mining . And right now we the Umuobii did not believe in crisis which shows that we are peace makers. We are crying because our rights have been breached, we have been embarrassed, during the bargaining process, and we have being consciously oppressed. And this is the fact that sufficient ground for us to put our bargaining power was not given to us. We believe in the principal of law that say "nemo dat qui non habet" one shall give what does not have

We believe the principal of equality before the law. We believe in the principal of social value, substantive and distributive justice which state that one should be allowed to earn his due. So, our traditional rule has gathered lawyers around himself to effect all the part we saw to be ultra-vires.

‘’So, we need a review on the agreement and those involved in the mess which we want to be tracked by the law are our traditional ruler (Igwe Fidelis Ekechi Chukwu), Barrister Ikeuwa Omebe two times Chairman of Ezza North local government area, brother Mathew Nwoke Vice Chairman of UDU, Mathew Oria, Barrister Oketa, Barrister Damin Nworie. The councilor Ekka ward (honorable Ezekiel Nwebe,) Barrister Ikechukwu Nwobo two times Member House of Assembly /former Majority leader lastly Mr. Ifeanyi, the licensed miner in the land, who have colluded with the above mentioned collectively to do otherwise’’.

The community warned the traditional ruler and the stakeholders arming thugs in the name of youths to ensure they desist from such acts as it is capable of causing more tension if their own youths come out to resist the intimidation and harassment.

The community appealed to Senator Paulinus Igwe, Senate Committee Chairman on Police representing their senatorial zone and Hon Ede representing Isienu-Ezza federal constituency to call the people trying to undermine the villagers to order. They said only Senator Igwe built a hospital in Ndiagu which is the only government presence there.

The community in another letter to the traditional ruler of Ekka community, Igwe Fidelis Ekechi Chukwu further said that the people of Umuobii have agreed and stated that this sharing formula should be observed and the host village of the mining land has to be treated as required if this mining project should succeed.

The community described as taboo disfranchising them from benefits of a mining field in their backyard insisting that any time monetary award or release is for the community of Ekka that their village Umuobii must be given 50 percent as hosts of the mining field.

The Unuobii village also demanded that any form of scholarship must come to them 60 percent and in case of any merriment like slaughtering of cow etc that the Umuobii must get 50 percent share before the rest would share the remaining 50 percent  and demanded that any other further meeting with respect with the mining must be done at Umuobii .

‘’We pray that you will live long and effect all the good plans you have made toward the unity and progress of Ekka.

The traditional ruler of Ekka community where Umuobii is a village hosting the mining field , Igwe Fidelis Ekechi Chukwu responding to the allegations informed that he has nothing at stake in Umuobii but because they are his subjects that made them to lay allegations against him even while praying for him to live longer.

Igwe Ekechi-Chukwu informed that the bone of contention was the request for the people of Umuobii to have a lion share of the bounties from the licensed miner as agreed with the community before the mining started but said the village refused to understand that there are things they would have lion share as a village in Ekka and there are things meant for the community as entire.

‘’Even me as a traditional ruler has nothing doing there. They did agreement with the land owners and the people who own land there  are saying requesting for electricity , pipe borne water and other basic amenities which is their right and remember that those owing the land are different from Umuobii as a village . Those owing the land wrote agreement with the contractor doing the mining and the village Umuobii is part of the community called Ekka community. And Umuobii is saying everything should be 50:50 with the entire community but the people of Ekka said no because four families have land in the mining field and not entire Umuobii village and those families have done the agreement with the licensed miner . So we said in scholarship for the mining village , it is for Ekka community and not for only the mining families or the Umuobii village as well as money. If there is money, it is for Ekka not Umuobii but for basic amenities they Umuobii will get those ones as their village is hosting the mining field as well the families owing the land.  

Igwe informed that peace was made last Saturday and agreement entered that this coming Saturday that the people would slaughter cows and eat together as a sign of peace wondering why they went to press after making peace.

All efforts to speak with Senator Paulinus Igwe , Hon Ikechukwu Nwobo and Chief Ikeuwa Omebe  among others proved abortive as they did not pick their calls and those who picked could not hear properly the questions put across.

But the licensed miner who identified himself as Engr Ifeanyi said peace has returned after the initial stoppage of work adding that he has continued to be at peace with all in the community but will not deny there was intra community problem that would be sorted out within and not a media thing.

He said he was unhappy the villagers are involving the press in a family crisis that would be settled in the community adding that the peace process came about because of another petition  they wrote the SSS which he went and explained to the SSS and they cleared him asking him to make peace .

He further said he is a stranger in that community and have pursued peace with all men to enable him do his business adding that whatever the community of Umuobii want would be done for them but they should give peace a chance as his mining wasn’t today but for years in some other climes.  He added that all the agreement entered before with him and the people he is mining in their land were kept and he is ready to enter any other agreement with them for peace to reign.

He further said he has engaged the youths and daily about ten depends on him for their daily bread and since he was just starting.

‘’I have no problem with the  village or the community but it appears some people are fueling the crisis and it is not the best. Just last Saturday we made peace and agreed to meet again next Saturday to celebrate the peace with a cow and I am saying again if they want anything that they should come to me and we discuss it for the development of the area and not a press thing. They should come and we dialogue because I don’t know what they would achieve by going to the press for propaganda . I am ready to sacrifice everything ‘’.