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Stakeholders under the auspices of the Federation of Nigerian Mining Host Communities (FNMHC) has call for a meaningful dialogue, understanding and peaceful resolution of the conflict currently brewing between Kogi State Government and Dangote Cement Company Ltd.

FNMHC in a joint statement on thursday noted that It is imperative that peace reigns even if for the fact that it is the host communities and not any of these two giants
that will suffer a conflict of such magnitude if it were left to continue.

Explaining, FNMHC stated that they have watched with dismay the repeated violations of the rights of mining host communities and have repeatedly advocated a more comprehensive and totally robust approach to the way the mining of solid minerals is
conducted in the country with the imperative to put the needs, wishes and aspirations of the mining communities foremost with the aim of strengthening sustainable mining host communities in Nigeria.

According to them, they believe that the recent events have served as a reminder once again, that where there are
mining companies (manufacturing companies) in any community, it is necessary to keep possible
conflicts at a minimum.

Similarly, FNMHC stated that the amendment of the mining act which is long overdue when amended would reduce the conflict as some safeguards against conflicts are strongly worded in the Nigeria Minerals and Mining Act (NMMA), which they agree is long overdue for review but is nonetheless very relevant today.

“It is our fervent request that it does its utmost best to have the amendment of the Act concluded and
effected before this Government leaves the leadership saddle”.

Continuing, they said while private companies are encouraged to explore commercial exploitation
activities in host communities, there must be honest and diligent scrutiny of;
A. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) activities and ensure that these companies
actually carry out this EIA as a prerequisite to obtaining operational mining licenses.

Also, Community Development Agreements, (CDAs) and whether it is drafted in the best
interests of the host communities is key; it becomes imperative to the sector
regulators to ensure that the letters of the CDAs are being strictly adhered to.

“We wish to call on stakeholders in the mining industry to set up a template for arriving at people-centric CDAs and give room for a wide spectrum of stakeholders per community, to determine and negotiate what is best for them instead of allowing a
few individuals to pocket the destinies of the unborn generations coming behind them”.

They however assured of the commitment of the Federation of Nigerian Mining Host Communities, (FNMHC) to the ideals
expressed herein is total and unwavering and shall continue to be at the vanguard of our collective citizenry.

The Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, said that God is responsible for floods that have submerged various parts of the country, plunging communities into unparalleled devastation for the third week continued.

Speaking at his ministry’s budget defence conference on Wednesday, Mr Adamu said rainfall constitutes 80 per cent of the flood crisis across the country and not the Lagdo dam in Cameroon as insinuated by some quarters.

“All these stories I’ve been seeing on social media, I just laugh because they are misleading. The contribution of the Lagdo dam to flooding in this country is only one per cent. Sometimes they release the water without notice and when they do that, it has an impact on communities downstream.

“But it is not the main reason we have floods in this country — 80 per cent of the floods in this country is water that we are blessed with from God from the sky,” he said.

Although Mr Adamu said that Cameroonian authorities have not been entirely honest with the Nigerian side on the opening of the dam and release of water, he maintains that Cameroon cannot be blamed for the flood and that there is no feasible end in sight to the crisis.

“This year’s flood, I can assure you, we cannot blame it on Cameroon, to be sincere. We’ll continue to have floods on the river Niger and Benue basins. We signed the MOU with the Cameroonian authorities, but since then, every year, it is the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) that calls them, ‘what is your level in Lagdo?’ “Even this one when he called them, I was communicating with the DG NIHSA,

I said, ‘what’s happening in Cameroon?’ He said he has been calling them, and they said they had not released any water, but they said they would inform us. Finally, they said they would inform us tomorrow, they didn’t inform us; they informed us 24 hours after they had released the water.

“They did the same thing two years ago, I wrote to the minister of foreign affairs, and Nigeria had to write a protest letter to the Cameroonian authorities that they did not inform us. It was after our rains had gone down, suddenly we saw floods in Adamawa area, and we were asking them.

For two weeks, they were denying that they had opened the reservoir. Of course, it didn’t go to the confluence, it was limited to the areas of Adamawa state and Taraba. Because, as I said, the contribution to the flood by Lagdo dam is not so high.”

According to figures released by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), more than two million people have been affected by the flood, with over 500 deaths. Several communities have also been cut off from trade and food supply due to a lack of access to their communities.

President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked Effiong Akwa as the sole administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

A statement issued on Thursday by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Patricia Deworitshe, said Mr Akwa’s sack, which has been approved by Mr Buhari, takes effect from 20 October.

The ministry supervises the activities of the NDDC.

The statement said Mr Akwa was appointed interim administrator for the duration of the forensic audit into the operations of the commission and that the audit has been concluded, apparently justifying his removal.

“President Buhari has also approved the constitution of a new Management Team and Governing Board of the NDDC in line with Section 5(2) of the NDDC Act, 2000.

“The names of the nominees for the new management team and Governing Board are to be transmitted to the National Assembly for approval,” the statement said.

Details later….

Nigerian troops have arrested two officials of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), who had visited the Gagamari Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in the Niger Republic to register non-Nigerians.

This was disclosed on Thursday by Major General Musa Danmadami, Director of Defence Media Operations, during the military’s bi-weekly press briefing at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

“On 13 October 2022, troops in conjunction with the Nigeria Police and NIS (Nigeria Immigration Service) operatives intercepted 2 suspected fake National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) officials. It was revealed that the suspects had visited Gagamari IDP camp in Niger Republic to register non-Nigerian in the IDP camp.

“Items recovered from the suspects include National Identification Number (NIN) registration machine, printing machine, laminating machine, a computer tracking machine and a generator set among other items,” Danmadami said.

He added that “during the weeks in focus, 31 suspected Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province members were neutralized, while 10 were arrested and 2 civilians rescued”.

“Furthermore, a total of 366 Boko Haram terrorists and their families comprising 23 adult males, 112 adult females and 231 children surrendered to troops at different locations within the theatre.

All recovered items, arrested terrorists, logistics suppliers and rescued civilians have been handed over to the appropriate authority for further action while the surrendered Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists and their families are being profiled for further action,” he added.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss had been struggling to keep her grip on power after a string of political tribulations since she came to office. She announced her resignation on Thursday.
In a short statement to the media, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss on Thursday announced an end to her time in office — after just over six weeks in the job.

Truss has faced mounting criticism after a tax-cutting mini budget unraveled spectacularly last month, sending markets and the pound sterling into freefall.

Truss said she had come into office at a time of great economic and international instability, adding: “I recognize, given the situation I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party.”

The head of the 1922 Committee of Conservative Party lawmakers Graham Brady visited the prime minister at her 10 Downing Street residence and office on Thursday. The committee arranges contests for a change of leader, and Brady’s role is to gauge whether or not the prime minister still has the support of Tory members of parliament.

To mark the second anniversary of the #EndSARS memorial of October 20, 2020, a memorial procession was announced by Nigerian rapper, Folarin Falana, also known as Falz.

According to the flier shared, the procession cars will pass through the toll gate, waving the Nigerian flags and chanting #EndSARS.

A police officer who wouldn’t like his name on print said, “As long as they do not stop, we shouldn’t have a problem, because the agreement is that they don’t stop.

“But the moment anybody stops that person will be picked up and locked up in the van.”

Heavy police presence, with about 25 police cars and one black maria, can be seen at both sides of the toll gate.

As of the time of filing this report, the procession was yet to start.