Awo Akpali Community located in Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Residents of the community are protesting against Coal-mining activities by Dangote group of companies which they say have continued to constitute serious health risks to the people of the community.
The residents say Activities of the coalmine have damaged their water, soil and also caused untold health challenges such as miscarriages by pregnant women and led to the death of some youths in the community.
They are calling on the Federal Government to shut down the coalmining Activities by Dangote group of companies operating in their domain.
Speaking via a phone interview, the community leader of Awoakpali community Robert Agagu says negotiations and consent for the Dangote group was done by the late Onu of Ojoku without the consent of the real owners of the land. He added that the group had over the years operated on grounds that it paid gratification to some stakeholders of the community whom the leader said were not learned enough to know the implications of accepting the offer.
They called on the group to do the right thing by renewing the environmental impact assessment agreement which is due.
They are also calling for a dialogue and religious implementation of terms of operation specified in the environmental impact assessment. According to the community leader, the residents are eager to know the measures put in place by the Dangote group to address the issues that has overtime emerged from the negative impact due to their mining activities.
The community leader advised the Federal Government to effectively intervene in the matter and provide the community with basic social necessities.
According to him, the people should not be lured into immediate gratifications warning that mining affects the groundwater, and could as well cause earthquakes among other severe environmental issues.
In a recent development, the Attah of Igalaland seized the situation as emergency meeting was summoned between Dangote groups of Company Reps and the Community Reps.
Adaji Ojonimi
