Dangote coalmines hurting Nigerian communities: Residents

Communities in Benue and Kogi states say activities at Nigeria’s largest coalmine have polluted watercourses and damaged their environment. They accused the company of not implementing agreed community development programmes.

The Dangote Mines Limited, owned by the billionaire Aliko Dangote, has since 2016 operated coalmines at Ankpa, Okpokwu, Ogbadigbo and Olamaboro in the northcentral states of Benue and Kogi.

The mines supply half the power needs of Dangote’s cement plant nearby, and was developed as an alternative to Nigeria’s erratic gas-powered energy. The federal government says it only issues coal mining licence for power generation.

But the communities say the mines have done more harm than good.

“If you take someone’s land, you pay or give alternative. We have not received anything and nobody is helping us,” Godspower Fedoje, a community leader in Eheche Olaiakaji, which hosts Dangote Industries Ltd.’s coalmine in Okpokwu, Benue, told Pluboard.

More complaints

In 2022, the Kogi state legislature accused Dangote Mines Ltd. of environmental damage. The federal House of Representatives later launched a probe after a member complained that instead of benefitting from the company, residents suffered deaths from accidents involving heavy machinery deployed in the area.

“The House is further concerned that the people of Ankpa Federal Constituency have benefitted nothing from the company but have continued to suffer anguish and hardship due to non-implementation of the Community Development Agreements with the said company,” member Abdullahi Halims said, according to the daily Tribune.

In November 2022, the house announced that the company had taken steps to address road accidents and advised host communities to “always walk on the same path through the implementation of the mutually consented Community Development Agreement (CDA).”

In February 2023, the company announced scholarships for dozens in the host communities. But Samuel Adejoh, a youth leader who attended the House hearing, told Pluboard by phone nothing had changed in his community afterwards. He said environmental damage remained.

“At a meeting with government officials I said there were very large and dangerous pits in our community that the company dug, and that made the government to send officials to pay a visit. Since then, we’ve not heard anything and nothing has happened,” he said.

In Feb., after flooding occurred in the area, Emmanuel Oloja-Ejeikwu, a professor and leader of Kwararafa Peoples’ Assembly in Benue, told local newspaper Sun that water pollution had continued.

“As we speak, Dangote Coal Mines Ltd. is busy mining coal in Effa, Ugbokolo, Okpokwu LGA, Benue, polluting the only natural river, rivers Ohimini and Okpokwu. These are the rivers available to the local communities as their only source of portable water for drinking and other domestic engagements.’’

“Disgruntled and unfounded”

A spokesperson for the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, said the claims are “often repeated unfounded and vile insinuations by some disgruntled members of the community.”

“We abide by the EIA jointly vetted by the Federal Ministry of Environment and the local authorities,” he told us.