5th November, 2021
The Ogun State government has warned miners and dredgers in the state to operate responsibly or face sanctions.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Mr Ola Oresanya handed out the warning when he visited a gully erosion site arising from mining activities in Sango-Ota in Ado-Odo local government area of the state.
Oresanya said the state government has found out that a lot of irresponsible extractions have been done in several parts of the state especially in the southern part which has sedimentary basins thus leading to gully erosion.
In his words, “Gully erosion will continue if we continue to have irresponsible mining and dredging.
“The state government will no longer tolerate it, whether they are licensed by the federal government or not since mining and dredging are on the exclusive list.
“Ours is to protect the lives and property of our people in Ogun State and make sure our people are not exposed to danger through irresponsible mining.”
“They cannot extract almost at vertical strip and have people’s houses falling into the gouge. We will not tolerate it,” Oresanya warned.
He, therefore, directed the miners and the dredgers to do an Environmental Impact Assessment before operations and register with the Ministry of Environment for proper monitoring of their activities.
The Special Adviser also directed them to have dust-control devices – especially for those sculping seriously and maintain the roads they destroy while they operate.
He added that the cost of restoring the degradation they do to the environment is more than the money they pay to the federal government for their licenses.
While stating that the federal government did not give them those licenses to destroy the state, Oresanya said the state government is ready to work with the central government to ensure total compliance with mining standards and ensure strict adherence to environmental regulations and standards.