WorldStage Newsonline— CSR-in-Action Advocacy has announced a partnership with the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources (FMPR), Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (MMSD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN), Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), and other stakeholders to organize the 7th edition of its Sustainability in the Extractive Industries (SITEI) Conference and Exhibition slated to hold at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre Abuja on 21 and 22 May, 2018.
The conference with the theme: ‘Managing Conflict and Security in the Extractive Industries’ will identify strategies for conflicts resolution and address some of the security challenges in Nigeria’s extractive industry.
Speaking on the rationale behind the theme for the event at a press conference in Lagos, Chief Executive Office, CSR-in-Action, Bekeme Masade identified the need for fiscal justice in the extractive industries as one of the driving factors.
“By fiscal justice, I am talking about the fair management and distribution of resources, ensuring that they are done transparently, and all stakeholders benefit accordingly.”
She added that during this year’s conference, stakeholders will identify the local causes of conflicts, proffer best practice solutions, and inspire the government to develop a practical framework for preventing and resolving conflicts in the extractive industries.
Managing Director of Shoreline Resources, Dr Ladi Bada, who is also a member of the SITEI steering committee, said the biggest problem with the extractive industry in Africa is violence. He gave several examples, including the Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Congo, saying the major cause of these conflicts was the inability of critical stakeholders to ensure sustainability, such that communities where resources are extracted are not destroyed.
“For businesses to succeed at the bottom line, they have to practice sustainability. But sustainability goes beyond being environment friendly, it also includes being people friendly,” he added.
Chairman, Solid Mineral Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Otunba Babatunde Alatise, whose company deals in explosives used in the mining and quarry industries, approached conflicts from the angle of security threats and government policies. According to him, while the government is trying to open up the mining sector, it needs to be careful so that the instruments of extraction do not fall into the wrong hands.
“Lack of proper policy framework by the government can lead to the proliferation of explosives. However, the laws governing explosives in Nigeria are old, dating as far back as 1964. Explosives are dangerous, yet they are needed for development, we should therefore strike a balance.”
Mrs Laide Adesanya, who represented Prof Femi Ajibola, the Chairman of New Nigeria Movement, spoke about the adverse effects of unsustainable mining.
‘The challenges in the mining industry, which is currently dominated by non-Nigerians, is that it is not well regulated. Many companies are mining resources in various locations across the country but are not being checked. In the process of making money, these companies should not jeopardise the future of Nigerians,” she said.
CSR-in-Action Advocacy, a subsidiary of the CSR-in-Action Group, is the first United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) NWP private sector member in Nigeria and is a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), and the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
