Yusuf Oketola
The Onikimo of Ikimo Ijesa, Oba Ojo Babatunde Peter, has cried out to the Federal and State Government of Osun to urgently intervene and halt mining activities that have been causing environmental degradation in Ijesaland.
Oba Peter explained that mining activities going on in the Ikimo and other parts of Ijesaland have grossly affected the wellbeing of the residents and environment.
According to the monarch, the miners have consistently been refusing to restore the land back to its normal original place by covering the dug portion.
The traditional ruler disclosed that mining activity was taking place on a land located on the major road linking Idoka, Ikimo, and Ijana which left a deep pit that has made it difficult for commuters to use the road.
He explained further, “In late 2020, up to early 2021, mining activity was done on the major road linking three communities together. When they finished, they didn’t cover the pit that was dug. Since then, that road has been bad. Vehicles cannot ply the road, people cannot take that route to the farm and it has been extremely horrible for farmers to continue their work, thereby hampering their source of livelihood.
“To our surprise, another company using the approved license of Sandplex International is currently operating under the same license to mine gold. If that gold mining should continue, it would be of extreme danger to the community.”
Buttressing how detrimental the mining activity could be, the royal father mentioned that the mining site is directly beneath a powerline and there shouldn’t be any mining activity in such a location because of the high volatility level.
He added, “The company has channeled water to pass under the power line and we know how dangerous this is. It would be worse if they start digging the same portion of land that has been dug previously.
“I am surprised that the government could give approval for mining to take place in such a location. I even reported to the Mining Cadastral Office in Osogbo, an environmental officer came to inspect and said they will look into it but nothing has happened since.”
Oba Peter appealed to the government to take action to nip the issue on the board.
Complaining about the mining activities, a resident of a neighbouring community who prayed not to be named, explained that if that particular mining activity should continue, it will affect the power transmission line which has a live wire, saying that can cause a lot of damage.
The resident noted that some illegal mining had been done previously where an electricity pole was affected and the neighbouring community, Iregun, was yet to have electricity since then.
She also called on the government to take action in the interest of the people, noting that the continuous mining activities has not been of benefit to the locals.
