Mining: Centre LSD, stakeholders meet to validate leading-edge study - ITREALMS

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The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) shall organize February 7, 2023 the validation meeting of its leading-edge study on the efficacy of community development agreements (CDAs) in mining host communities in Nigeria. This time with mining stakeholders in the southsouth/southwest geopolitical zones in Lagos, Nigeria.

The study conducted across six states in each geopolitical zone of the country in 2022, including Taraba (northeast), Kebbi (northwest), Kogi (North Central), Ekiti (Southwest), Edo (Southsouth), and Ebonyi (Southeast), is aimed at ascertaining the effectiveness of current CDAs regime as a tool for delivering social and economic benefits to mining host communities in the country. Penultimate week, the Northeast and Northwest regional validation was held in Kano.

Nigeria’s solid minerals can kick-start boom in mining industry - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr. Olamilekan Adegbite, has declared that Nigeria has sufficient mineral resources to kick-start a boom in the mining industry, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Making this disclosure at the weekend during the opening ceremony of the recently held Fourth Edition of the Nigeria Mining Week in Oyo, Adegbite said also that this is achievable with the right investments and the right atmosphere.

“The documented stock of minerals that could be found in Nigeria is sufficient to kick-start a boom in the mining industry in Nigeria, with the right investments and the right atmosphere,” he said.

To address this, he said the Federal Government intends to partner with a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the industry to deepen the reforms to foster a conducive ecosystem for private sector investment.

The event, which brought together key players, policy makers and investors in the mining industry as well as finance experts from about 20 countries and the governors of Kebbi and Nasarawa States. 

Isaac Oyimah/Editor

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Dangote in fresh mining mess, attracts N2.7bn fine

NaijaAgroNet:

A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State Capital has ordered Dangote Group, Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana Cement Plc, Dangote Industries and their subsidiaries in a judgement against them, to pay the sum of N2,697,125,000 billion in a mining dispute brought against Dangote by a mining firm, Quest Two Enterprises Ltd, reports NaijaAgroNet.

In his judgment, the trial judge Justice Ayua of the Federal High Court, Lokoja averred that the Dangote General Manager, Mr. Victor Mohan, who was also the sole witness admitted under cross-examination that his employers, Dangote Group, effectively shut down operations of the company by dismantling power lines belonging to the company and disrupting their operations. Despite agreeing to pay compensation for these acts to the plaintiffs, the judge also noted that the defendants failed to live up to the terms of the agreement to pay any compensation to the plaintiffs.

The court also dismissed Dangote’s counter-claims that the actions of the plaintiff amounted to trespassing on their mining lease area. He consequently declared that Dangote should pay the sum N2.7billion as damages and issued a Garnishee order Nisi against 21 banks to satisfy the judgment debt.

This new development comes as Dangote is fiercely battling another mining dispute with cement giant, BUA Cement, in which the Chairman of BUA recently wrote an open letter to the President claiming that Dangote in collaboration with the Ministry of Mines & steel illegally entered its Mining areas with a view to disrupting and sabotaging operations at BUA’s Okpella cement plant despite a court order restraining Dangote and the Ministry from claiming and or moving to the site. The cases comes up for hearing shortly at the Federal High Court in Benin.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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