Nigerians were happy when the information filtered in that gold deposits in commercial quantities was discovered in Zamfara State, Nigeria. The reason for that excitement was predicated on the idea that since the Nation’s Federal systems/constitution ceded the control of all natural resources to the Government at the centre, the mining of the gold like crude oil from the Niger Delta region will help the Federal Government increase its revenue in such a way that will aid the nation’s socioeconomic development.
To ensure the judicious management of this new discovery, the Federal Government in 2019 launched the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI). This initiative was conceived by the Federal Government to foster the formalization and integration of artisanal, or illegal, gold mining activities into Nigeria’s legal, economic, and institutional framework. And as a means of transforming the country’s abundant, largely untapped gold deposits into a major source of revenue for the country.
Also in the spirit of national ownership of resources, President Muhammadu Buhari led administration through the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals announced that the Gold in Zamfara belongs to the Federal Government. And that the Federal Government would provide an enabling environment for gold mining activities.
With the above in mind, the Editorial Board of Ika Weekly Newspaper, to say the least, describe as shocking the recent statement credited to the Zamfara state Governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, who disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will give the Zamfara State Government N5 billion to supply gold to the apex bank, Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle, noting that his administration had established a gold reserve for the state. “This strategic decision is part of the effort to prop up the economy of the state and guarantee the economic and social wellbeing of our people now and in the future particularly now that the price of oil has crashed at the world market. It is also the first of its kind by any state in the federation.
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Going by the above words of Mr. Governor , the question may be asked; if the nation has finally adopted the Ad coelum doctrine which relates to the common law rule that a landlord owns everything below and above the land, up to the sky and below the earth to its core? If Zamfara state is allowed to manage its gold, what becomes of the Niger Deltans that have no direct control over their crude oil? Under the present arrangement in Zamfara state, will the state be receiving the statutory 13% derivation or the sum total of the amount sold?
Ika Weekly Newspaper particularly recalls that the intents of Section 162, Sub-section 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on the 13 percent derivation, and the NDDC Act, 2000, are for compensation of oil communities for social and environmental pollution and damages arising from oil exploration and production.
So, is this the case of double standard or a new normal where owner takes all?
For the sake of peace and national cohesion, it is the Newspaper’s opinion that the Federal Government makes clarification and provides answers to the above questions in the interest of justice and sustenance of the nation’s ever nascent democracy.
We therefore call on the South-South Governors; leaders of tribal/ethnic/socio cultural organizations from the south-south geopolitical zones and of course the civil society groups/organizations to rise against this injustice.