INVESTIGATION: Osun, Ondo Southwest states where illegal mining, untapped resources scoop Nigeria’s economy

As illegal and unrestricted mining of the nation’s solid minerals continues unchecked in many part of the country, it is becoming clearer that it will be a near impossible for the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to achieve its Economic Recovery Growth plan (ERGP) 2017-2020. In this report, Uthman Samad who visited Ibodi in Ife-Wara, Ilesha, in Osun State and Agbabu in Ondo State reveals how billions of naira is lost to illegal, informal mining and how economic resources are left untapped.

IT was a drizzling Wednesday morning and it looked the torrents would increase as the day rolled by, but no, this would not deter the illegal and informal miners at work. They were busy drilling and mining the gold that can sustain the host state for more than four decades even without allocation from the Federal Government.

But that is not the only anomaly about the illegal mining taking place in Ibodi , a community in Ife-Wara, Osun State. Land and farmers have also lost their properties to the unlicensed miners who have forcefully taken over their land for mining purposes.

For Sunday Aina, his life-long dream has been to reap the fruit of his labour, until the artisanal illegal miners, mostly from the Northern parts of the country, chased and threatened him with death if he tries to disturb their activities on his farmland.

Close to tears, Aina recounted his weird experience in the hands of the miners.

“I am going to the police station to arrest the Hausa guys on my farm land,” he said.

“They even have the effrontery to threaten to want to kill me. They told me their boss has bought the land from the owner, anyone disturbing them should be laid off,” he added with his voice trembling out of fear.

“If I don’t see the police, I am heading straight to the Baale Asun’s palace to report them.”

His cocoa plantation was all destroyed by these invaders while looking for the precious stone.

But Aina is not alone in this predicament. Adeloba, a septuagenarian who lives in a village called Baale, some kilometers away from Ibodi mining sites, is left with nothing after his farms were also destroyed by the invaders searching for golds. His house is the only remaining building in the area after others have been smashed.

Ayeda’de village, a neigbhouring village to “Baale” is no more in existence due to the artisanal and illegal search for gold as the villagers fled after their farm lands were destroyed.

Adeloba lamented that the now dredged lands were basically for farming and were dedicated to cocoa cultivation over the past years.

He told this reporter that any land owner or farmer who wishes to be paid by the king after the land had been taken over from them by the miners, will go to the Oba Enitan Ogunwusi’s (Ooni of Ife) palace.

“They will only be paid for the farm produce or for the economic trees and not the land as the Yoruba believes “the land belongs to the king,” Adeloba alleged.

This reporter reached out to the palace of Ooni of Ife through the press secretary. On November 10, Moses Olafare, the Press Secretary to Ooni of Ife, replied to a request on WhatsApp, saying that he was in United States and would reach out by November 13. Till the last minutes of filing this investigation, Olafare did not reply further WhatsApp messages or pick several calls from this reporter.

Alluvial gold was first discovered in 1940 around Ife and Ilesha both in old Western Region later old Oyo State and now in Osun State. Gold was first sighted in September 1940 from the Owena River North of Ife-Ondo road. Later in December 1941, mining began South of Temogun. Between 1941 and 1952 over 50 ounces of gold were recovered from the stream sediments. According to research, Osun State’s gold is second to the best in the whole world.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUcBj2lI9QY

Read More: https://www.icirnigeria.org/investigation-osun-ondo-southwest-states-where-illegal-mining-untapped-resources-scoop-nigerias-economy/

hmmm

Who did this to us

This is 100% true.

An indigene of Ile-ife was killed by Hausa few weeks ago over this illegal mining. Hausa's in Sabo area of the town were almost chased away but I don't know how this was settled.

We need to restructure this country. Nothing is working. A government who can't supervise crude oil very well, is it same government that will monitor mining in Nigeria?

We need to go back to regional government. Unfortunately, northerners knew the southern part is blessed with Minerals resources which the northern part are not ready to let go.

The only prayer now is for the northerners to discover oil in the north...

Shehuyinka:
INVESTIGATION: Osun, Ondo Southwest states where illegal mining, untapped resources scoop Nigeria’s economy

As illegal and unrestricted mining of the nation’s solid minerals continues unchecked in many part of the country, it is becoming clearer that it will be a near impossible for the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to achieve its Economic Recovery Growth plan (ERGP) 2017-2020. In this report, Uthman Samad who visited Ibodi in Ife-Wara, Ilesha, in Osun State and Agbabu in Ondo State reveals how billions of naira is lost to illegal, informal mining and how economic resources are left untapped.

IT was a drizzling Wednesday morning and it looked the torrents would increase as the day rolled by, but no, this would not deter the illegal and informal miners at work. They were busy drilling and mining the gold that can sustain the host state for more than four decades even without allocation from the Federal Government.

But that is not the only anomaly about the illegal mining taking place in Ibodi , a community in Ife-Wara, Osun State. Land and farmers have also lost their properties to the unlicensed miners who have forcefully taken over their land for mining purposes.

For Sunday Aina, his life-long dream has been to reap the fruit of his labour, until the artisanal illegal miners, mostly from the Northern parts of the country, chased and threatened him with death if he tries to disturb their activities on his farmland.

Close to tears, Aina recounted his weird experience in the hands of the miners.

“I am going to the police station to arrest the Hausa guys on my farm land,” he said.

“They even have the effrontery to threaten to want to kill me. They told me their boss has bought the land from the owner, anyone disturbing them should be laid off,” he added with his voice trembling out of fear.

“If I don’t see the police, I am heading straight to the Baale Asun’s palace to report them.”

His cocoa plantation was all destroyed by these invaders while looking for the precious stone.

But Aina is not alone in this predicament. Adeloba, a septuagenarian who lives in a village called Baale, some kilometers away from Ibodi mining sites, is left with nothing after his farms were also destroyed by the invaders searching for golds. His house is the only remaining building in the area after others have been smashed.

Ayeda’de village, a neigbhouring village to “Baale” is no more in existence due to the artisanal and illegal search for gold as the villagers fled after their farm lands were destroyed.

Adeloba lamented that the now dredged lands were basically for farming and were dedicated to cocoa cultivation over the past years.

He told this reporter that any land owner or farmer who wishes to be paid by the king after the land had been taken over from them by the miners, will go to the Oba Enitan Ogunwusi’s (Ooni of Ife) palace.

“They will only be paid for the farm produce or for the economic trees and not the land as the Yoruba believes “the land belongs to the king,” Adeloba alleged.

This reporter reached out to the palace of Ooni of Ife through the press secretary. On November 10, Moses Olafare, the Press Secretary to Ooni of Ife, replied to a request on WhatsApp, saying that he was in United States and would reach out by November 13. Till the last minutes of filing this investigation, Olafare did not reply further WhatsApp messages or pick several calls from this reporter.

Alluvial gold was first discovered in 1940 around Ife and Ilesha both in old Western Region later old Oyo State and now in Osun State. Gold was first sighted in September 1940 from the Owena River North of Ife-Ondo road. Later in December 1941, mining began South of Temogun. Between 1941 and 1952 over 50 ounces of gold were recovered from the stream sediments. According to research, Osun State’s gold is second to the best in the whole world.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUcBj2lI9QY

Read More: https://www.icirnigeria.org/investigation-osun-ondo-southwest-states-where-illegal-mining-untapped-resources-scoop-nigerias-economy/

This Article is Mischief-making. It's Fulanisation.

Bringback9ja:
This is 100% true.

An indigene of Ile-ife was killed by Hausa few weeks ago over this illegal mining. Hausa's in Sabo area of the town were almost chased away but I don't know how this was settled.

We need to restructure this country. Nothing is working. A government who can't supervise crude oil very well, is it same government that will monitor mining in Nigeria?

We need to go back to regional government. Unfortunately, northerners knew the southern part is blessed with Minerals resources which the northern part are not ready to let go.

The only prayer now is for the northerners to discover oil in the north...

Hausa don dey follow struggle Mineral resources with indigenes of....

We still have a long way to go.. So many yet untapped natural resources..

Gov't knows about their work jor.....let them stop deceiving masses.

This is not a good time to be a Nigerian.

Same way Zamfarans ended up with Lead poisoning. Why can't the States be allowed to control their resources? People are rendered poor by illegal miners who add no value to the communities they operate in.