Africa-Press – Liberia. A conglomeration of Nimba citizens under the banner, Collaboration of Nimba Citizens (CNC) have called on the Government of Liberia to grant access to other mining companies to operate in Liberia.
The Collaboration of Nimba citizens is an umbrella organization of Nimbaians in Liberia comprising Nimba Kwado and the Conference Committee of Nimbaians for Better Deal with aim to brainstorm key issues springing out of the proposed Arcelor Mittal Liberia deal that is expected to have them stay in Liberia up to 2049.
In a press conference on Sunday, the group called on the government of Liberia through the Legislature to encourage competition in the mining sector and consider its recommendations from the consultative Nimba Conference as an addition to initial petitions submitted by civil society and stakeholders of Nimba received by the House of Representatives on December 2, 2021.
The group, through its spokesperson Harrison Luo, made a repeated call on the Liberian Government to give access to many mining companies including the SOLWAY mining company and others to carryout mining activities in Nimba with the aim of creating more jobs, scholarship opportunities and other social benefit for the people of Nimba.
“The people of Nimba don’t want one company to create a mineral colony in Nimba and overshadow all of the mountains for mining purpose and leaving out other company who have interest in mining in Nimba,” the group said.
According to group, the SOLWAY Mining, an exploration company with approximately half of its workforce from Nimba “has been illegally muzzled by Arcelor Mittal Liberia and some officials of Government, mainly some key decision makers in the Lower and Upper Houses of the National Legislature to abandon its mining operations in the current localities.
Meanwhile, the group has called on the 54th Legislature to probe into its petition sent two months ago since their conference, reminding Arcelor Mittal Liberia of its corporate social responsibility in Nimba.
He said Arcelor Mittal has been lagging behind in terms of providing infrastructures and basic social services like housing, schools and hospitals at Arcelor Mittal Liberia operational areas.
According to him, ‘there seems to be no clear information on the status of their petition to halt Arcelor Mittal new deal extension since they wrote the 54th plenary and our people continue to receive mixed information and signal from senior government sources that the deal is already done’.
He further said that on February 24, 2022 he saw a post on the facebook page of Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor ‘indicating that the Plenary of the Liberian Senate has concurred with the House of Representative in passing the third Amendment to the Mineral Development Agreement between the Government of Liberia and Arcelor Mittal Liberia’.
“Information is that the deal was passed as it was presented by Arcelor Mittal Liberia and the Executive branch of the Liberia Government without a single consideration of the many recommendations proffered by Nimbaians,” he said.
The group noted that the Mountain in question is in Nimba and the county host the general and primary operations of Arcelor Mittal Liberia since the inception of its mining operations, and as such, Nimbaians in general, and the affected communities in particular, continue to live through hazardous conditions and its associated risks of mining operations of that magnitude while the mineral resources are extracted with limited or no benefits to the host communities.
It stated: “These developments are troubling and have caused the propensity for conflict and other associated risks factors for free and fair investment climate. As Liberia emerge from the many years of conflict, it is in the interest of all Liberians to ensure the sustainability of our hard earned peace. Liberians including Nimbaians are tired of conflict and will not sit idly by and see our peace jeopardized by few individuals because of personal greed and gains,” he said.
“The current shenanigans and double standards been played by some influential officials of the Liberian Government, most especially from the National Legislature against the interest of fellow Liberians must stop now as we are committed to ensure the interest of Nimba is prioritized at all times.”
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