River pollution: Govt declares war against illegal miners in Osun

…Warns natives leasing out farmlands to illegal miners to desist

By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo

Osun state government has said it’s ready to stage war against Illegal Miners for their illicit activities that have caused environmental pollution on Osun River.

The government bemoaned the flagrant abuse of the environment by illegal miners especially the pollution of the Osun River.

Osun government stated that it is ready to launch a full blown war on those who have resisted guidance and refused to follow approved standards for mining in Osun.

A statement signed on Wednesday by the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, warned natives who are leasing out their farmlands to illegal miners to desist from such acts or face the law.

Part of the statement read, “Osun State Government is worried and deeply concerned about the flagrant abuse of its environment by illegal miners who are daily degrading and polluting the Osun River. In spite of efforts to curb the excesses of these fly-by-night business men, they have consistently resisted guidance and refused to follow approved standards for mining in Osun.

“Illegal Miners are therefore served a notice to shape in or ship out. If they cannot operate within the ambits of World Standards and observe safety protocols, they may have to take their business elsewhere.

“Osun State under the leadership of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola will hold nothing back in fighting these agents of pollution and degradation masquerading as business men. There will be arrests and prosecution in the coming days and there will be no sacred cows. Nobody however highly placed will be allowed to put the future of our water bodies in jeopardy.

“Osun is the proud host of one of Nigeria’s UNESCO World Heritage sites that is the Sacred Grove in Osogbo through which the sacred Osun river winds. The Oyetola administration has been committed to maintaining and promoting the state as a tourist destination, as one of its three pillars of economic growth and diversification. Central to this is eco-cultural tourism in the annual pilgrimage to the Sacred Grove a major milestone in Osun’s calendar. A second pillar of the Oyetola administration’s blueprint for Osun is agriculture and the third is mining. A symbiotic tripod for the the Osun Economic Agenda.

“The state Government’s mining blueprint has sought through a combination of enforcement and formalisation via registration and capacity development of artisanal miners, to mitigate the degradation caused by mining. The state’s policy of inviting responsible commercial mining can be seen in Segilola Resources Operating Limited, Nigeria’s 1st commercial gold mine owned by Thor Explorations, a Toronto Stock Exchange Listed company committed to ESG principles. Other mining companies have partnered with the state as the state tries to make Osun a designation for sustainable investment.”