EDITORIAL: Horrible Day In Ibadan And A Wake Up Call
THE families of those who perished as a result of the explosion in Ibadan need not just heart-felt commiserations but compensation. May the souls of the deceased rest in peace. Unfortunately, sympathy as well as compensation cannot bring back the dead. What must be done is to salute the courage of the departed souls is to carry out a full scale commission of enquiry into the root course of the disaster to ensure that such a thing never happens again.
The tragedy was foretold, and there has been forewarning for over two decades, artisanal and unregulated mining activities have turned parts of Nigeria into a reckless frontier reminiscent of the California gold rush of the 1800s. Predictably, all the early warning signals were ignored which makes today’s crocodile tears shedding rather hypocritical and offensive.
Before the carnage in Ibadan took place, the Federal Government had commendably announced the formation of special forces to patrol mining areas. Special forces are very much needed across all borders in Nigeria whether it is illegal or legal. We must dig deeper.
The country is paying the price for a defective misinterpretation of federalism. Solid minerals should have been on the concurrent as opposed to the exclusive legislative list. When this is done, the sub-nationals will have the wherewithal to police the industry, discourage criminals, and ensure rigorous regulation of the sector, including vitally protecting the environment. The ruling party at the center is committed to a federal system; it must now walk the talk. The Constitution needs a revamp to take scores of items out of the exclusive legislative list.
This must be done now with urgency. Piecemeal thinking can no longer do the job.
The carnage in Ibadan is warning for all the State in which unregulated minning is going on. The State government of Osun must be proactive. The environmental consequences of minning is already a treat in Osun and a disaster must be averted. Prevention is better than cure.
