The Coalition of Shiroro Associations, COSA, has alleged that only 50 per cent of members of the communities, whose farmlands and economic trees were taken over by the federal government for the construction of Zungeru Dam, have actually been compensated.
Addressing a press conference in Kuta on Friday, the Coalition also disclosed that even as the federal government plans to commission the Dam in December 2021, no community affected by the Dam construction, has been resettled.
The Coalition warned that until the issues were resolved and communities adequately resettled to avoid cases of sack by flood and other threats associated with such projects, members of the communities would be forced to take actions, including occupation of the Dan site to prevent commissioning.
“We shall occupy the dam premises in a peaceful protest against the commissioning of the dam which has been what the persons affected by the dam project have always clamoured and advocated for,” the statement reads.
Read the statement below:
Gentlemen of the press
Rude shock is a mild word to describe the reactions of the people of Shiroro, after receiving the news of the Federal Government readiness to commission the Zungeru dam project, by December. The plan which was disclosed by the Minister of Power, while appearing before the Senate to defend the 2022 budget was not only callous but also a deliberate attempt to hamstring the people of Shiroro from demanding their legitimate rights and further turn them into dreg in their own ancestral homes. This has caused a lot of commotion among the claimants of these rights, lately.
It will interest you to note that, the people of Shiroro who gave up their ancestral homes for the construction of this dam have on several occasions, cried out for their rights and privileges as the host Community to the Federal Government. It is painful and dehumanizing, that the project is at the completion stage and yet, the people of Shiroro are still crying over these basic rights and privileges that are guaranteed by our laws and inherent to a project of this nature. Ordinarily, the people ought to be in their new resettlement homes cooling their heels, after making such a huge national sacrifice.
Inconceivably, in the wake of these tumbles and rumbles in demand for our legitimate compensation for lands compulsorily taken over, and to also have a safe and habitable resettlement site, here comes a move from the Federal Government to commission the project that is shrouded with life-threatening issues without any workable effort insight to addressing them. This indeed depicts insensitivity of the government and outright disregard to the welfare of the people which ought to be her avowed priority.
Gentlemen of the press, the myriad of issues constantly raised include the following:
COMPENSATION FOR THE LANDS COMPULSORILY ACQUIRED AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS.
While People’s heritage and economic livewire like farming were disrupted to give way for the construction of the dam and people continue to suffer the devastating consequences of take-over of their land, the Government keeps foot-dragging the compensation of the people whose lands were compulsorily taken over.
According to World Bank Safeguard Policy on Involuntary Resettlement OP 4.12 which applies to the instant project, provides that, compensation should be paid to the persons affected by the dam project in the event of land acquisition and displacement of persons before the commencement of work.
Gentlemen of the press, it has been eight good years since the commencement of the project, here we are at the completion stage of the project still talking about compensation and other related matters. Cases relating to compensation can conveniently be grouped thus:
1. Few communities have been fully paid for their crops and structures, while others have only been paid for crops and economic trees without being paid for structures. These communities include Beri, Maikakaki, Guwa, Gijiwa, Kami, Manta, etc. This only represents 50% of the total number of the communities affected.
This category of persons is still stranded without a place to go, as there is no provision for a resettlement site let alone making it habitable with social amenities. Guzha Tukwo where the people of Maikakaki are displaced is a perfect example.
2. There is a category of communities that were captured and their property assessed but have not been compensated. Some of these communities are already displaced and their farmlands submerged. The following are the communities with this kind of case: Gurmana Gari, Gwaja, Jabiki Kasa, Maganda, Jabiki Sama, Siyiko, Wusisi, Unguwan Fulani Kami, Rumace, Wunato Paleli, Alfani,
Aporlogado, Jataye, Kwangu, Kako, Mashigin Gurmana, Akika, Fulani Shakadna, Gogwaita, Guto (Gurmana), Kutawi, Karibo, Kokki, Kuyami, Shakadna, Sarkin Zama, Sudan, Tsohon Gurmana, Anguwan Kampani, Jankasa, Biriki, Kasumi, Yekwa, Gini, Shambuyi, Baha, Kwatayi, Magami, Sabon Gidan Magami, Layi, Gavia, Farin Hula, Shana.
The people of these communities were assessed since 2013, the dam has rendered some of them homeless, jobless and landless (e.g Layi, Shambuyi and Gavia communities are already submerged and the people are displaced under Gijiwa/Kato Ward of Shiroro local government) but up to this moment they have not been paid their compensation, yet government finds it expedient to move for the commissioning of the project. The difficult upheaval of livelihood, loss of food security, and other dam-induced impacts to their physical, cultural and spiritual well-being cannot be quantified.
3. Others were not initially captured and assessed, because it was not envisioned that the people of those communities will be affected by the project, but the reality is looking at us in the face with the contrary.
The following are some of these communities: Kaje, Zanna, Shirya, Pyeshaba, Bauwa, Jagindi, Mangorata, Asse, Kurmi, Gwanda, Gbaiko, Gidan Alh. Ahijo, Gidan Fulani (1), Gidan Fulani (2), Tudun Wada, Fulanin Tudun Wada, Maidaro, Filiki, Goggo, Kpashegba, Ashape, Lungu, Kafa Dama, Tawali-Diyekpe, Gbawa, Palila, Woche, Sabon Gijiwa, Urshani, Gungu Magami, Kashani, Gbafa, Gbepka, Dogbanubwa, Kurumin Kwochi, Damidami, Chewy, Pakaji, Fulanin Pabeye, all under Shiroro local government. We also have: Mawyi, Kwayipi, Snutunu, Shiyi Kina, Lima, Buko Kawu, Fulanin Kawu, Fulanin Kwayipi, Tuntumi Maiwi, all under Bosso local government.
These are communities that were not captured in the enumeration exercise maintaining that the communities will not be affected by the project. Today, not fewer than 5 of such communities have been submerged (e.g Gbawa, Woche etc) and many others are in the pipeline waiting for a similar fate.
The difficulties involved with this type of case is that, the subject matter of assessment (the submerged property) which ought to be the blind man’s cane for the valuers have been destroyed, thereby making the exercise a recipe for the monumental scam, as we continue to wallow to know on what parameter is the government going to justly and fairly assess the destroyed property for onward compensation.
Members of the fourth estate of the realm, people of these communities now live in tents. They have lost their crops worth millions of Naira that were already planted before the preliminary blockage of the dam. This was as a result of the sudden release of the water without notice on those already captured and avoidable negligence stemming from experts reports which submitted that some communities will not be affected by the project. Just some few months ago we lost one of the farmers in one of these communities who collapsed seeing how his crops, which he laboured so hard to grow being washed away by the dam.
Similarly, no fewer than seven lives (the majority of whom are children) were lost in these communities due to the unexpected and sudden submerged of their houses and farmlands. And all government is interested in talking about is the commissioning of the project without even sympathizing with the families of the victims, who have paid the ultimate price for the project, let alone to find a way to cushion their hardships.
Another important issue relating to compensation is the template used in the payment. The assessment of the property was done in 2013.
Gentlemen of the press! It bewilders the minds to know that, government was committed to paying these helpless and voiceless farmers their compensation in 2016 using the same template generated in 2013. It took the intervention of our Attorneys to have the template slightly reviewed by the Court in a judgement obtained on the 3rd October 2016.
it has been five years after the template was last reviewed, with the rate at which inflation is growing in a geometric progression in this country, we wonder the magic the government expects the poor and vulnerable masses to perform to replace their lost property in 2021 using the economic reality of 2016. Even a child knows that things have changed significantly. It will take three times what was required then to make a similar replacement today. A construction iron that was sold at N800 in 2016 is now sold at N3000. This is an increase of over 200%.
RESETTLEMENT OF THE PERSONS AFFECTED BY THE PROJECT (PAPs)
According to the World Bank Safeguard Policy OP 4.12 which applies to a bank-financed project of this nature. A project cannot be deemed to be officially completed until Resettlement Plan (RP) is fully implemented.
The project is ready for commissioning and NONE of the communities has been fully resettled. It took the stewardship of the Emir of Minna, HRH. (Dr.) Umar Farouk Bahago to appeal to the conscience of his subjects to relinquish their farmlands for some of the displaced persons to carve out tents where they could put down their heads. The people out of respect for the Emir and empathy for their kinsmen, considering their living conditions, they gave out their farmlands for the sake of brotherhood without the land being paid for or replaced.
30% of the landowners have refused to give out their farmlands without being paid, maintaining that they would not have any other place to farm and feed their families. This has posed hardships on the affected persons and instigated avoidable communal clashes between the displaced persons and the landowners.
Members of the fourth estate of the realm, with insecurity ravaging Shiroro local government where the dam is located, many of the PAPs have become IDPs in their ancestral land. We now have two categories of IDPs, vis-a-vis those displaced by the banditry and those displaced by the dam project.
THE NOMENCLATURE AND MATTERS ARISING
The dam which measures about 233 metres (764 ft) in length and 101 metres (331 ft) in height is 98% built and housed by the landscape in Shiroro according to the report of the Dam’s Environmental Impacts Assessment Team. Similarly, over a hundred communities in Shiroro local governments have been submerged and physically displaced due to the construction of the dam.
Then, one could readily be tempted to ask: how then did the name Zungeru Dam come about (Zungeru which is a town under Wushishi local government, not Shiroro)?
Records have it that the misnomer started from the report of the first feasibility study conducted sometime in 1982 by Messrs Chas T. Main International of USA. The foreign experts who came to trace the flow of Shiroro Dam could not understand the difficult terrain of the land. They also could not at that time find needed shelter in the hamlets and clans that were close to the location of the dam which was generally under Shiroro local government.
Therefore, their next place of resort for shelter was Zungeru, which was the Capital of the then Northern Protectorate. There, the foreign workers found railway stations and other amenities which aided their activities and which was why they made Zungeru the centre of their operations. Hence the name ‘Zungeru Dam.’
Consequently, all the subsequent reports of the feasibility study carried the name, Zungeru Dam. Therefore, in the beginning, the name came as a result of neither mistake nor deliberate attempts to confiscate the National Assets from the people of Shiroro but as a result of the quest for administrative convenience by the foreign experts. This could easily be forgiven for they knew not that Zungeru was entirely under a different Local Government (Wushishi local government) from the local government where the Dam is actually located (Shiroro local government).
However, the continued use of the name even after hard facts pointing at the contrary have been laid bare and record set straight leaves so much to be inferred as same can no longer be excusable. One hundred and nine communities were initially enlisted to be affected by the dam project (as you will see in the report enumeration exercise), and all of these communities are in Shiroro local government. NONE of these communities is in Wushishi local government.
Our people living upstream have been forced to vacate their ancestral homes to give way to the construction of the dam. Others have lost their lives and livelihood due to the recent preliminary blockage of the dam.
Although, there is nothing that will be done to fill in the social inequality between the dam beneficiaries and those disadvantaged by the dam project. However, it will amount to double jeopardy if the dam is called with any other name other than the name of the people that paid the supreme price for its existence.
Another issue that calls for serious concerns is the way and manner Shiroro local government has been completely relegated to the background on the issues relating to the dam project. The local government Council is never involved nor consulted on issues relating to the dam project. This is unacceptable!
OUR DEMANDS
- The name ‘Zungeru Dam’ Should be changed and replaced by ‘Shiroro Dam II’ or ‘Manta Dam’.
- All pending compensation should be paid with special consideration to those whose structures and farmlands are already submerged.
- We demand that those that were not captured in the initial exercise be captured and assessed with special consideration to those who are already made homeless and landless by the dam.
- Those whose properties have not been assessed and their property already destroyed, should be compensated three times the amount of the highest assessed property.
- The payment template should be reviewed to reflect the present economic reality of the country.
- All resettlement lands should be paid for and made habitable to the people with basic social amenities.
- Tenement rate and other accruable benefits to the local government such as employment opportunities, scholarships, road networks, hospitals, electricity, etc, must be ascertained and thoroughly dealt with.
- Local government which is where the dam situates must be carried along and be fully involved in all processes concerning the dam project.
NEXT LINE OF ACTIONS.
We are committed to doing the following to press home our demands, should the Federal Government treat our demands with crass levity:
- We shall instruct our Attorney as a matter of urgency, to institute legal action and obtain a court order restraining Federal Government from commissioning and further working on the project until all issues are adequately addressed.
- We shall occupy the dam premises in a peaceful protest against the commissioning of the dam which has been what the persons affected by the dam project have always clamoured and advocated for.
- We shall Petition the World Bank on the inability of the Government of Nigeria to fulfil its side of the terms and conditions for the loan obtained in an international Financial Institution to finance the project.
Thank you!
Signed:
Comrade Usman Ibrahim Kuta (Chairman)
Comrade Salis M Sabo (The Spokesperson)
