Oyo State government has decried loss of revenue to illegal mining and failure by registered mining companies to pay taxes and other dues to the coffers of the state.
The Chairman, Oyo State Mineral Development Agency, Mr Abiodun Oni stated this while on familiarization tour to mining sites at the Ibadan end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Friday.
Oni said before the advent of the present administration, many illegal miners have been operating in the state without check and thereby causing a lot of havoc to the environment and the health of the people.
He cited mining areas of the state where the illegal mining operations take place on daily places to include Ibadan, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa, adding that the illegal miners who are from the country were aided by some indigenes to cart away the resources of the state away.
“Oyo State government is losing so much to illegal mining activities and this has been happening long before the present administration came on board. We are presently looking into ways by which we can stop this, it has to stop. Illegal mining contributes so much to degradation of the soil layers and cause a lot of damage to our ecosystem, we have to stop it and we are already in the process. That is why we are here to meet with those that are legally registered with the state to engage in mining business and facilitate a good rapport with them so as to engender cooperation”.
Calling on the quarry owners and mining companies to give more cooperation to the state, Oni reaffirmed government’s readiness to give them support for the growth of their business.
