Bagega is an Hausa speaking village in northwestern Nigeria. The village became noteworthy during a 2021 campaign by international organizations to recognize lead poisoning of children in the area, as part of artisanal gold mining.

Bagega
Village
Bagega is located in Nigeria
Bagega
Bagega
Location in Nigeria
Coordinates: 11°51′54″N 6°00′10″E / 11.86500°N 6.00278°E / 11.86500; 6.00278
Country Nigeria
StateZamfara
Time zoneUTC+1 (West Africa Time)

Location

Bagega is located in the Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State.[1][2] Bagega is surrounded by Dorca, Maigelma and Tuduki.[3]

Economic activity

One of the major activities in Bagega is artisanal mining.[4]

Lead poisoning

The dangers of lead poisoning due to the artisanal mining in Bagega have drawn global attention and have been subject of several environmental research publications by organizations like United Nations Environment Programme,[5] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,[6] ReliefWeb,[7] Médecins Sans Frontières,[8] and Human Rights Watch.[9]

In May 2012, Doctors Without Borders had reported that least 4,000 children were suffering from lead poisoning as a result of artisanal gold mining in Zamfara State in Nigeria.[10] Later the same year, Human Rights Watch further called on the Nigerian government which had pledged close to US$5 million to clean up areas that had been contaminated with lead during artisanal gold mining operations because of high levels of lead in rock ore.[11]

#SaveBagega was a viral campaign that started off on Twitter when Hamzat Lawal first used the hashtag when he tweeted about the lead poisoning incident in Bagega, Zamfara State.[12] At the time of Human Right's Watch participation in #SaveBagega, more than 400 children were reported dead and many of the children could not be treated.[11][13]

By January 2013, the campaign had reached some one million people, and dozens of media outlets had picked up on the story. At the end of that month, the federal government released the $5.3 million.[14]

In April, 2013, Médecins Sans Frontières announced that the environmental cleaning of the earth in Bagega village had started and they had started chelation therapy on the children, which leaches the lead from the blood[15] In May 2013, the then Nigerian Minister for Environment, Hadiza Mailafia announced that Bagega was safe for habitation after remediation.[16]

References

  1. ↑ 150 - 159_Salisu et al. - African Journals Online.
  2. ↑ "Mindat.org". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  3. ↑ "BAGEGA Geography Population Map cities coordinates location - Tageo.com". www.tageo.com. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  4. ↑ "Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Nigeria Recommendations to Address Mercury and Lead Exposure" (PDF). Environmental Law Institute.
  5. ↑ Lead Pollution and Poisoning Crisis Environmental Emergency Response Mission Zamfara State, Nigeria September October 2010 (PDF).
  6. ↑ ALABA, OC, OPAFUNSO, ZO; AGYEI, G. "Health risk assessment model for lead contaminated soil in Bagega Community, Nigeria". Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "Gold feeds - and poisons - Nigerian children - Nigeria". ReliefWeb. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  8. ↑ "Nigeria: MSF starts treating lead poisoned children in Bagega | MSF". Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  9. ↑ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Nigeria: Death Stalking Lead-Poisoned Children". Refworld. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  10. ↑ "Jonathan's inaction on lead poisoning causing death of hundreds of children in Zamfara- groups - Premium Times Nigeria". 2012-12-06. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  11. 1 2 "Nigeria: Death Stalking Lead-Poisoned Children". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  12. ↑ "Nigerians demand that their government do something to #BringBackOurGirls". The World from PRX. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  13. ↑ "Nigerian 'Gold Rush' Poisoning Children | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  14. ↑ "Follow the Money: How open data can track public money and change lives in Bagega, Nigeria". ONE. 2018-09-13. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  15. ↑ "Nigeria: Environmental cleaning of the earth starts in Bagega village | MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES - MIDDLE EAST". MSF. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  16. ↑ "Bagega Village in Zamfara now safe for habitation --- Minister | Premium Times Nigeria". 2013-04-29. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.