Nigeria
Illegal mining of gold cost Osun billions of Naira – Adeleke
Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, has acknowledged that illicit miners stole billions of Naira that the state should have received as internally generated revenue (IGR).
He said that the Ilesa Water Project was carried out inefficiently during the previous Adegboyega Oyetola regime.
On an unplanned visit to the Osun State College of Education, Ilesa on Friday, Governor Adeleke informed the academic and non-academic staff of this.
The governor used the opportunity to speak to the Ijesha community during the tour to tell them about the Ilesa Water Project and the effects of illicit mining in the area under the previous government on water contamination, environmental degradation, and income leakage.
Illegal mining and the upgrading of the College of Education in Ilesa have been points of disagreement between the Adeleke government and the previous Adegboyega Oyetola administration.
He stated that the previous APC administration “mismanaged the Ilesa water project with more than 12 billion naira spent so far without any results.
“I visited with the Minister of Water Resources, who verified to me that the project’s failure was caused by the contractor’s dishonesty. It is also widely known that the water project’s consultant said the state house committee on water resources demanded five million dollars.
Since then, a Joint Committee has been formed with the Ministry of Water Resources. After an out-of-court settlement with all the project’s stakeholders, the contract will be re-advertised, the governor said.
The Governor, who insisted that the previous APC administration encouraged illegal mining activities in and around Ijesha, added that the outcome resulted in serious environmental degradation and water pollution in the state and prevented the state from receiving the much-needed revenue from mining activities.
“The APC-led state administration promoted illicit mining there. Our water is severely contaminated as a result of this. I was told by the water minister that the subsurface water supply in Ilesa is contaminated.
“The state also lost a number of billions of Naira that should have been generated as IGR if the mining activities were carried out correctly.
The committee I formed to examine the actions of the illegal miners yesterday turned in their report. I’m reviewing it, and I’ll be announcing shortly the plans my government will utilise to solve the water and environmental degradation brought on by mining operations.
The governor asserted, “I’m convinced this will properly clean up the mess the APC government left in Ijesha territory.
Adeleke had confiscated the state’s mining businesses’ gold mining permits when she took office as governor in November 2022.
Moreover, the Ilesa Water Works Project consultant was fired.
The Ilesa Water Works Project, worth $106 million, was allegedly stopped unlawfully, according to claims made by the Osun APC earlier in the week.