JOURNALISTS WARN GOVERNMENT OF LOOMING CONFLICTS IN MINING COMMUNITIES

Chairman of the Association of Journalists on Mining and Extractives, Mr. Theophilus Gbenda, has called on the Government of Sierra Leone to do more to improve the living conditions of people in mining communities across the country to avert the looming threats of violent conflicts.

Ishmail Koroma launching the newsletter

Gbenda made this appeal at the launching of the second edition of the newsletter, Mining Watch, at the Atlantic Hall of the National Stadium in Freetown on Wednesday 13 October 2010. Acting Secretary-General of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists, Mr. Ishmail Koroma, who deputized SLAJ President, Mr. Umaru Fofana, launched the newsletter.

Mining Watch is published by the Association of Journalists on Mining and Extractives (AJME) in collaboration with the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD). AJME is the media wing of the Campaign for Just Mining, an advocacy platform of civil society organizations working around mining and the environment to ensure responsible and responsive mining activities throughout Sierra Leone.

“The continued dissatisfaction of mining communities over the operations and performance of mining companies has the potentials to plunge these communities into conflicts.

“We should not lose sight so soon of the peaceful protest of the affected people of Tankoro against the operations of Koidu Holdings Limited in December 2007, which eventually resulted in the gunning down to death of two youths by officers of the Sierra Leone Police and wounding several others.

“And just recently, land owners in the Sierra Rutile operational areas in Moyamba district barricaded roads in their communities to prevent company workers from accessing their mining sites. This action was prompted by the persistent failure of the company to pay them adequate compensation for their properties.

“These are all indications that these communities, and indeed the entire country, are a powder keg, waiting to explode. This is why we’re calling on the Government to take action now in order to prevent this situation from further degenerating,” Gbenda said.

Minister of Mineral Resources and Political Affairs, Alpha Kanu, making a statement

Gbenda said some of our finest brothers and sisters had died in the course of the struggle, whilst many others were daily subjected to all sorts of inhuman and undignified treatment at the hands of mining companies and some Government operatives.

“We should not allow the lives of those who died to go in vain. And one way we can do it is to continue the struggle until the rich mineral wealth, which our country is endowed with, ceases to be a curse to the citizens of this country, particularly those living in mining communities,” he said.

Further, Gbenda dismissed the much touted notion of the Government of Sierra Leone that “half a loaf of bread is better than none”, meaning the people of Sierra Leone should be satisfied with whatever they got from mining agreements the Government entered into, as deceptive and misleading.

“Sierra Leone is not a begging nation, and the Government should not try to portray us as such. These mining companies are coming to Sierra Leone not out of love for us, but because they believe that they can do buoyant business here with our natural resources.

“Yes, we need investors. But what benefits will the nation derives from the activities of these investors if there operations are not in the interest of majority of the people?

“For good governance to take a firm hold in the country, the utilization of national resources, particularly our natural wealth, must be improved to ensure that they benefit every Sierra Leonean,” Gbenda concluded.

A cross-section of participants at the launching

In his statement, National Chairman of the Campaign for Good Governance, Mr. Leslie Mboka, called on all Sierra Leoneans to work together assiduously to transform the present ‘mineral curse’ that has plagued this country since mineral exploitation started in the 1930s into a ‘mineral blessing’ for the entire people of Sierra Leone.

“The mining sector in Sierra Leone has always been chaotic and corrupt. The recent increase in the spate of new investors who are showing great interest in investing in the sector has further worsened off the situation. Not even the enactment of the Mines and Mineral Act 2009 could provide any let up,” he said.

Mboka further said that CSOs were very much concerned with the way and manner the Government was entering into agreements with mining companies. He said that all the agreements the Government had so far entered into with mining companies were not done within the spirit and letter of the Mines and Mineral Act of 2009.

“This is made possible by the fact that the mining industry is shrouded in secrecy. There’re several confidential clauses that make it extremely difficult for ordinary citizens to know what’s happening in the sector. This is where we believe the media have a big role to play,” Mboka said.

He bemoaned the failure of the Government to establish an oversight committee to monitor the implementation of and the compliance of all stakeholders with the Mines and Minerals Act of 2009, despite persistent demands by CSOs during the formulation of the Act.

“Rather, they only established a committee that has advisory powers only, leaving the minister with enormous power to exercise at his own discretion. This could be a source of corruption,” he said.

Making a statement on behalf of the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD), Programme Director of Mining and Extractives, Mrs. Aminata Kelly-Lamin, congratulated the AJME for working so hard to actualize the dream of her organization (NMJD).

(l-r) Aminata Kelly-Lamin, Leslie Mboka and Valnora Edwin

She paid glowing tribute to the late Managing Editor of Salone Times newspaper, Mr. Christian Keilie, who was not only a pioneering founder of AJME, but also its first chairman. Keilie died before his dream of producing a newsletter dedicated exclusively to the mining sector was actualized.

Mrs. Kelly-Lamin took the opportunity to further “educate” the general public” about NMJD and its work. She gave a brief background to the formation of NMJD and the strategic activities it has been engaging with.

“NMJD believes in the tenets of basic human rights. As an organization, this is what NMJD believes in, stands for and will continue to pursue through capacity building of local communities and CSOs and relentless advocacy,” she said.

Also, Mrs. Kelly-Lamin re-emphasized the importance of the media in the work of NMJD in particular and civil society in general.

“We value the role of the media in the overall development of Sierra Leone. This is the more reason why we always encourage them to come and share the little space that is available to civil society.

“As journalists, we expect you to take the lead at all times in bringing to the fore the concerns and problems of rights holders to the duty bearers, and at the same time create the enabling platform for rights holders to demand accountability from duty bearers and service providers.

“NMJD is proud to see that AJME is moving on despite the numerous challenges it is facing. We’re happy that the baby has grown into a full adult. We assure you of our continued support in the areas of capacity building and technical enhancement,” Mrs. Kelly-Lamin said.

Minister of Mineral Resources and Political Affairs, Mr. Alpha Kanu, lauded the efforts of the journalists for their initiative to come together under the umbrella of AJME to report on the mining sector.

“Mining has not been a good story for the country for the past 70-80 years. This has always been a concern of President Ernest Bai Koroma even in his days in the opposition.

“Upon his ascendancy to the presidency in 2007, he wasted no time in causing the review of all mining policies and agreements with the view to maximizing benefits from the country’s natural resources,” he said.

Minister Kanu thanked NMJD for supporting journalists of the AJME to publish the Mining Watch newsletter. He, however, advised them to always cross-check their information before publishing so that they’ll be seen to be reporting facts, and not opinions.

On the issue of oil and gas, Minister Kanu said the exploration process had already begun, but it was still at the infancy stage.

“The process takes time and it’s an expensive business. The drilling of the Venus well only costs US$60 million; the three wells will cost a whopping sum of US$180 million.

“Our Government does not have the money to fund this process. That’s why we’re requesting companies to come and explore. Immediately, the process is through, we’ll inform the citizenry of this country through you,” Minister Kanu assured.

In his brief remarks before launching the newsletter, Mr. Ishmail Koroma, blamed the mountains of problems in the mining sector on misinformation, lack of information and pervasive corruption.

“People know very little about what’s happening in the mining sector. Majority of citizens are ignorant of existing laws and policies in the sector. Interestingly, even the Members of Parliament who make these laws are not quite au fait with the contents of the very laws they themselves enact.

“The chiefs in the mining communities are also largely responsible for the predicaments of their people. Some chiefs sit on the Board of one or two mining companies where they receive mouth watering personal benefits. Such chiefs do not normally represent the interests of their people when it comes to decision-making and signing agreements,” he said.

Koroma reiterated what previous speakers had already said about the importance of the media in nation building.

“We need media outfits like the AJME, and SLAJ is encouraging journalists to identify their niche and strengthen their knowledge and skills around that to make them more effective and professional.

“Reporting on sectors such as mining requires specialized skills because of the technicality and complexity of these sectors. So I urge members of the AJME to go all out to acquire what it takes to report these complex issues accurately and correctly,” Koroma said.

Earlier, Mr. Mohamed Konneh of the Standard Times newspaper gave an overview of the newsletter.

The launching was chaired by the National Coordinator of Campaign for Good Governance, Ms. Valnora Edwin. She commended journalists of the AJME for coming together to work on the problematic sector of mining.