{"id":94022,"date":"2025-06-10T19:21:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T19:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=94022"},"modified":"2025-06-21T10:32:23","modified_gmt":"2025-06-21T10:32:23","slug":"94022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=94022","title":{"rendered":"Gujeni: Kaduna’s black town we choose to ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tucked along the bustling Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, the Gujeni community in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State faces a worsening pollution crisis. Despite growing concerns, the environmental and public health emergency unfolding here has yet to receive the urgent attention it demands.<\/p>\n

The greens on both sides of the road are beautifully lush, especially as the rains have started pouring. But then, blackened trees and grasses begin to appear. Soot everywhere. A factory to the left with black smoke spewing unchecked into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Then, there is a community. All trees and houses, and everything sooted in black. Community folks everywhere with forlorn looks.\"\"\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
Black trees, black hills, a black factory, and ablack village: Welcome to Gujeni.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Monday, one of then, Adamu (not real name), says it has been like that for long. “Is the government aware?” “Everyone is, including our district head,” he replies. A bystander retorts: “Are they not all part of the problem? Have they all not been settled (a Nigerian euphemism for bribe)?<\/p>\n

A look into the community, its blackness and health situation is a reminder of the danger all, including the children, face. A reminder of hell on earth and some persons’ negligence that endangers the community folks and those who drive past. It appeared on Monday as if drivers increase their speed while driving past the black village.<\/p>\n

The story of Gujeni is the story of communities all over Nigeria where foreign miners, particularly of Chinese and Indian extraction, are working mostly unchecked as “settled” government and traditional officials, with lined pockets, look away.<\/p>\n

A Community Under Siege<\/strong>
\nA recent publication and social media posts show concern over the grim consequences. Residents, particularly children and the elderly, are experiencing a surge in respiratory illnesses and related health complications. The environment has also suffered. Vegetation is dying, biodiversity is dwindling, and livelihoods\u2014mostly tied to farming and livestock\u2014are increasingly under threat.<\/p>\n

Industry’s Response \u2013 Green Claims Amid Black Smoke<\/strong>
\nThe main company at the center of this controversy is\u00a0African Natural Resources and Mines Limited (ANRML), a subsidiary of African Industries Group. According to its website, ANRML operates Nigeria\u2019s first fully integrated iron ore mining and processing facility in Gujeni. The plant is equipped with what it describes as\u00a0\u201cenvironmentally friendly waste heat recovery technology\u201d\u00a0and holds Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) certifications aligned with international standards.<\/p>\n

Yet, residents dispute this narrative. They allege that the plant continues to pour out black, toxic smoke into the atmosphere\u2014challenging the company\u2019s claims of compliance and environmental responsibility. Many in the community point out that the plant, operated by individuals of Indian descent, has done little to ease the suffering its operations appear to be causing.<\/p>\n

Advocacy for the Forgotten<\/strong>
\nIn response to the escalating crisis, civil society is stepping in. Gloria Kasang Bulus, Executive Director of Bridge That Gap Initiative, led the Network of Civil Society in Environment to the Kaduna State House of Assembly, supporting a petition highlighting the environmental and health hazards plaguing Gujeni.<\/p>\n

According to publications, the petition was championed on the floor of the House by Hon. Henry Zachariah Marah, representing Jaba Constituency. Titled \u201cMotion of Urgent Public Importance,\u201d it called for immediate legislative and environmental intervention.<\/p>\n

In response, the Speaker constituted a joint committee comprising the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, led by Hon. Danlami Stingo Usman (Kajuru LGA), and the House Committee on Health, led by Hon. Barnabas Haruna (Kauru LGA). The committee was given one week to investigate and report its findings.<\/p>\n

What Needs to Be Done<\/strong>
\nCivil society groups have outlined key demands:
\n\u2022 Independent Investigations\u00a0into pollution levels and the steel company\u2019s compliance with environmental laws.
\n\u2022 Environmental and Health Assessments\u00a0to gauge the full impact on residents and ecosystems.
\n\u2022 Collaboration with KASEPA\u00a0and other regulatory agencies to create a cleanup and remediation plan.
\n\u2022 Stricter Policy Enforcement\u00a0to prevent future industrial pollution.
\n\u2022 Community Inclusion\u00a0in policymaking, through stakeholder visits and public hearings in Gujeni.<\/p>\n

Conclusion: Gujeni Deserves Better
\n<\/b>What is happening in Gujeni is a tragedy that shouldn’t be ignored. It is a crisis playing out in plain sight, yet met with silence and inaction. While the steel plant claims to follow international standards, the evidence on the ground tells a different story.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time for accountability. For health. For justice. And for the people of Gujeni, who deserve to breathe clean air, drink safe water, and live in a community not sacrificed for industrial gain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tucked along the bustling Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, the Gujeni community in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State faces a worsening pollution crisis. Despite growing concerns, the environmental and public health emergency unfolding here has yet to receive the urgent attention it demands. The greens on both sides of the road are beautifully lush, especially as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":94026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5777,5773,7],"tags":[7148,7147,2887],"class_list":["post-94022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-features","category-health","category-news","tag-blackened","tag-gujeni","tag-soot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/94026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}