Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The Akwa Ibom State government has started the ejection of illegal miners from their places of operation to protect the environment.

The Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Chief Uno Etim Uno, revealed that the government ejected a Chinese mining company, Ruitai Mining Company from its operation base in Esuk Ikim Akeme community, Ibeno Local Government Area, where it was illegally mining titanium ore. 

Speaking on Tuesday in Uyo, Uno stated that he, alongside the Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security, Brig. Gen. Koko Essien (rtd), on an inspection of Ruitai Mining facility discovered that it was involved in illegal mining.

He explained that the product, black clay-like minerals, was discovered in sack bags of 50kg. However, the Managing Director and Director of the company, Zeng Zhonghuan and Huang Ying, were absent at the site, while the available staff members could not provide any information or documents on their right to operate in the area. 

 He explained that upon the discovery, the government invited the police and army to take over the site pending when the company was cleared to operate, adding that Ruitai was given until Friday this week to present documents qualifying them to mine the mineral.

He stated that further enquiry revealed that the company was an exploration company, whose Board of Directors comprised only Chinese persons, therefore, not eligible to acquire the small-scale mining license as they claimed.

Families in Nigeria are passing through difficult times as the cost of staple food is increasingly becoming unbearable, Daily Trust reports. Findings at various markets across the country show that prices of rice, beans, garri, flour and sugar, among others, are rising almost on a weekly basis. While breadwinners are seeking government’s help; traders are lamenting that the inflation rate is fast eroding their capital base. The latest inflation figure was 24.08 per cent in July 2023, the highest since September 2005. A March report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) showed that nearly 25 million Nigerians were at risk of hunger between June and August unless urgent actions are taken. FAO identified continued conflict, climate change, inflation and rising food prices as key drivers of the trend. It said, “Of the 17 million people who are currently food insecure, 3 million are in the north-east Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. “Without immediate action, this figure is expected to increase to 4.4 million in the lean season. This includes highly vulnerable displaced populations and returnees who are already struggling to survive a large-scale humanitarian crisis in which 8.3 million people need assistance.”  Available records showed that by mid-February to the end of July, prices of maize, beans and rice from three-grain markets of Dawanau, Dandume and Kumo in Kano, Katsina and Gombe states as well as Abuja had on average doubled, especially maize; while beans and rice added N10,000 and N20,000 respectively.