The Cross River State House of Assembly has urged the National Assembly to amend Nigeria’s mining laws to better protect the interests of host communities and resource-producing states.
Raising a motion during Wednesday’s plenary in Calabar, Hon. Egbe Abeng, who represents the Obubra I State Constituency, emphasised the urgency of the matter, describing it as one of critical public concern.
In his presentation, Hon. Abeng painted a dire picture of the situation in Obubra, calling it a public health emergency. He highlighted how illegal mining activities have polluted local water sources, putting entire communities at risk of disease outbreaks.
He further pointed out that the Water Board station in Ofodua, which previously supplied clean water to the area, is now non-operational and in dire need of rehabilitation.
“Our people are suffering. Illegal mining has not only stolen their resources but destroyed their right to clean water. The federal mining law must be reviewed to reflect the needs of the people living in these affected communities,” Abeng stated.
Lawmakers expressed deep concern over the worsening environmental degradation and humanitarian crisis in Obubra Local Government Area. Illegal gold mining, they noted, has destroyed the only accessible water source serving five major communities—Ababene, Ovokwa, Onyadema, Ofat, and Ofodua—forcing residents to rely on sachet water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.
The House unanimously resolved to dispatch a delegation led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, to the National Assembly. The delegation will present the resolution to Senate President Sen. Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.
The Assembly also called on the Cross River State Government, through the Ministry of Water Resources and the State Water Board, to immediately restore potable water supply to the affected communities and rehabilitate the Ofodua Water Board station. Additionally, they urged the state to launch a thorough investigation into the environmental damage caused by illegal mining operations.
In his remarks, Speaker Ayambem decried the structure of Nigeria’s mining laws, which he said unfairly centralise benefits at the federal level, to the detriment of states and host communities.
“We are calling on the National Assembly to amend or repeal these unjust mining laws. Host communities and states like Cross River, which have contributed immensely to national development, must not be left behind. Mining should be a driver of development, not devastation,” the Speaker said.
He added that any new legal framework must grant states greater authority over mining activities within their territories, while also ensuring that host communities receive fair compensation, infrastructure development, and environmental safeguards.
