Abuja:Akwa Ibom The Network Advancement Programme for Poverty and Disaster Risk Reduction (NAPPDRR) has called on the Federal Government to investigate alleged unregulated mining of lithium and black sand in the region.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, NAPPDRR’s Executive Director, Emem Edoho, issued a statement urging an investigation into these mining activities purportedly conducted by foreign miners. Edoho expressed concern over the operations within Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, spanning Mbo, Esit Eket, and Ibeno Local Government Areas. He appealed to relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, to take immediate action.
NAPPDRR has called for a halt to all unregulated mining activities in the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve and stressed the need for an independent Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. Edoho highlighted the necessity to block illicit financial flows from these activities and to ensure justice and compensation for the affected host communities.
Field reports and testimonies suggest these operations have severe environmental and social repercussions, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution, affecting forest-dependent communities. The use of heavy-duty trucks for transporting minerals has also reportedly damaged rural infrastructure, exacerbating poverty and disaster risks in the region.
Edoho emphasized that the unregulated extraction represents a significant leakage of Akwa Ibom’s natural wealth, with minerals being evacuated without proper procedures or community benefits, thus depriving the state of essential development funds. He called for urgent measures to ensure that the state’s natural resources contribute to local development rather than being exploited illicitly.
Community leaders in the affected areas have also expressed their concerns, with Chief John Ekwere of Ntak Inyang Community in Esit Eket LGA alleging that at least five trucks transport minerals from the forest reserve weekly, sometimes with security personnel as escorts.