March 29, (THEWILL) – An environmental organisation, Green Concern For Development (GREENCODE), has warned against the adverse effects of extraction on some resource endowed communities in Cross River State.
National Coordinator of the organisation, Edem Edem, disclosed this in Calabar during a stakeholders engagement on the cost of corruption in the extraction industries.
The engagement was organised by GreenCode in collaboration with BudgiT Foundation.
Speaking during the engagement, Edem Edem said communities where resources are extracted are usually the poorest.
He added that communities should be vigilant otherwise they will be left with adverse consequences of extraction.
“Communities where resources are extracted are usually the poorest and we have to change the narrative.
“Resources in the state should be harnessed in a way that is used for development.
“If we are not vigilant, after extraction, we will be left with the adverse effects of such extraction”, he said.
He cited an example of Crush Rock Industry, which existed in Old Netim but left with zero benefit to the community.
He said stakeholders have to rise up to the responsibility and iron out strategic development plans for these communities.
He added that the essence of the gathering is for stakeholders to run minds and generate ideas on the way forward.
Also speaking, a resource person, William Itorok, said benefit captors are the ones who usually destroy a community and not the contractor.
He explained that these people cause revenue due to communities not to get to them.
He said communities should organise themselves and look for people who they can train on leadership so they can speak for them.
He added that leadership at this level must be proactive and transparent.
Also speaking, Kingsley Eworo, a resource person, said to address corruption in the sector, beneficial ownership and transparency should be emplaced in the sector.
He also added that domestic resource mobilisation should be out in place to end corruption and leaders owe the lead a responsibility to disclose strategies for combating corruption and coherent development strategies for these communities.
On his part, Akija Agbor, the Director Quality Control in the State Ministry of Environment, said the meeting is apt and the ministry appreciates the organizers of the event.
He, however, said that some communities sometimes aid and abet “hit and run” crushers but work against regulators saying it has to change.
He added that some of the crushers are not licensed to operate in the state and the affected communities should work with the regulators to keep them at bay.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
