Ismaeel Uthman
STAKEHOLDERS in State of Osun have renewed their commitment to saving the contaminated Osun River.
The stakeholders, among who are traditionalists and government officials, at a meeting held in Osogbo recently expressed their readiness to form a synergy towards ensuring responsible mining in Osun.
The meeting was conveyed by a nongovernmental organisation, Urban Alert, in collaboration with Conflict Free Nation to host relevant stakeholders on the Osun River contamination.
According the team lead of the organisation, Mr Anthony Adejuwon, the stakeholders submitted that both state and federal government must also take responsibility by protecting the lives of the people.
Adejuwon said officials of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development at the meeting expressed disappointment on what they described as worrisome nature of the contamination of Osun river which is caused by indiscriminate gold mining in the state.
He said they identified the challenges in putting an end to the contamination and sought for collaboration among all stakeholders.
“The National Environmental Standards & Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) also provided details on the steps taken before the contamination and the alarm raised to relevant agencies before the pollution became glaring.
“NESREA further made known the steps taken to address the situation by the State Office and the Headquarters” he added.
It would be recalled that the Director General of NESREA, Aliyu Jauro, at a press briefing in Abuja, made it known that the agency is currently investigating the Osun River contamination and is committed to prosecuting the offenders.
The Ministry of Environment, State of Osun, confirmed that the state government has renewed its commitment towards protecting water bodies and the environment, a development that led to the passage of the Environmental Protection Bill a few weeks ago.
It is believed that the Environmental Protection Bill will further empower the state to ensure sanity and regulate environmental activities.
