The Chinese government has entered into talks with the Niger State government over illegal mining activities carried out by some Chinese companies across the state in order to avert a possible lawsuit. This news comes as a welcomed development to the state government that has been focusing its efforts on the preservation of its cultural heritage, particularly around Zuma Rock, located in Suleja Local Government Area of the state.
In recent times, the mining activities of Chinese companies have been a source of concern for the state government, and the outgoing governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, had called on the Federal Government to cease their activities. He had explained that if the mining activities by a Chinese company continued unchecked, the integrity of Zuma Rock, one of Nigeria’s monuments, would have been under threat.
The Chinese delegation, led by the country’s ambassador to Nigeria, met with Governor-elect Umar Mohammed Bago in Minna to discuss ways of ‘settling out of court’. During the meeting, Governor-elect Bago disclosed that the illegal mining activities of the Chinese companies had caused inestimable damage to Zuma Rock and directly impacted negatively on the host communities.
Governor-elect Bago further stated that the Chinese have been good partners for a long time and that when they do things that are wrong or capable of negating Nigeria’s mutually beneficial partnership, they must not only speak out without fear or favour, but also find ways to resolve the issues amicably.
The Chinese ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. CUI Jianchun, explained that his visit aimed to enable him to hold talks with the state government to reduce and settle the issue of illegal mining by Chinese companies in order to strengthen their bilateral relationship. He also stated that the two sides have consented to broaden economic ties, and he hoped that after the inauguration of the new administration more opportunities for business and development partnerships will arise. The ambassador noted that henceforth the Chinese government will ensure that companies from China that want to do business in the state, do so genuinely and legally.
The talks between the Chinese and Nigerian governments come as a welcome development and demonstrate a proactive strategy of preventing litigation in favour of amicable settlement of disputes.
