Osun: Gov Adeleke Suspends Mining Activities, As PDP Accuses APC Of Colluding With Miners

By Ayodele Oni

Osun state Governor, Ademola Adeleke has directed immediate suspension of activities of mining firms operating in the state.

This was  contained in a statement signed by Secretary to the State Government, Teslim Igbalaye, in Osogbo on Wednesday.

The suspension order is coming just as the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state accused immediate past administration of colluding with miners to rip off the state of revenue.

Government statement reiterated the administration’s resolve to recover all fund owed Osun state and stop the reaping of state assets from mining to revenue collection.

The statement reads, “All operators are to report to the Committee on Assets Verification and Recovery chaired by Dr B.T Salami with copies of their Memorandum of Understanding which governs their relationship with the state government.

“The suspension of the operators is to remain in force until the conclusion of the ongoing review of the MOU between the state as the owner of the licences and the operators. All operators are to report to the committee on Monday by 12pm.

The PDP in a statement by the caretaker committee accused APC of holding brief for the mining companies to protect exposure of its complicity in mining banditry.

“We are not surprised as there are credible reports on how the mining companies regularly settle top officials of the APC and its government.

“When the People’s Governor now exposes the nest of corruption, the state APC cannot even disguise to manifest its complicity. Osun people have taken judicious note of APC condoning and facilitating the fleecing of Osun natural resources.

“The Executive Governor has transparently addressed the state. He has nothing to hide. Only those hands in glove with Segilola has something to fear and that probably explains why the APC came out so shamelessly to defend those mining companies.

“The 13 percent derivation payment was openly announced by the Federal Government in 2019 and whatever names anybody called it, Osun deserves billions of returns from her God given natural resources.

“Even APC in advancing her hatchet job, confessed that 13 percent derivation was to be paid to solid mineral states from royalties by mining companies.

“Osun also demands immediate action on the cleaning up of her environment. Our mining field, the entire Osun East, is an environmental disaster zone.

“Is APC saying mining companies should continue environmental degradation without paying for cleaning up? Is APC happy that Osun People are reeling under sicknesses and dying due to the activities of Segilola and other companies.

“We note that the APC should be ashamed of its bareface approach at sidestepping the core issues of revenue loss to the state as evidenced in the revelation of Governor Adeleke.

“It is disappointing that the APC failed to appreciate the enormity of the damage it had wrecked on the state. Perhaps, it is still lost in its fraudulent style of governance that it could not realize the determination of the new administration to ensure sanity and probity in the management of public resources.”