PDP, APC, bicker over mining revenue in Osun

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) continued their verbal battle on Tuesday over the alleged non-remittance of revenue owed to Osun State from the mining industry.

The PDP accused the opposition party in the state of working with a mining company to deny the state its revenue.

The state governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, had earlier come under fire from the APC for claiming that the previous administrations had not remitted the 13% derivation on mining revenue.

This criticism came in a statement from the party’s acting chairman, Tajudeen Lawal.

However, the PDP said in a parallel statement issued by its acting chairman, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, that the APC had conspired with mining firms in the state to deny Osun its fair portion of the proceeds.

The statement reads, “We are not surprised as there are credible reports on how the mining companies regularly settle top officials of the APC and its government. When the people’s governor now exposes the nest of corruption, the state APC cannot even disguise to manifest its complicity. Osun people have taken judicious note of the APC condoning and facilitating the fleecing of Osun’s natural resources.

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“The governor has transparently addressed the state. He has nothing to hide. Only those hands in gloves with Segilola have something to fear and that probably explains why the APC came out so shamelessly to defend those mining companies.

“The 13 per cent derivation payment was openly announced by the Federal Government in 2019 and whatever names anybody called it, Osun deserves billions of returns from her God-given natural resources. Even the APC, in advancing her hatchet job, confessed that 13 per cent derivation was to be paid to solid mineral states from royalties by mining companies,” the statement further read.

Earlier on Monday, Governor Ademola Adeleke says companies mining gold in Osun will henceforth pay 13 per cent of their profits into the state coffers.

The governor also vowed to prosecute illegal miners and make them pay for damages caused by their activities to the environment in the state.

Adeleke spoke while inaugurating a committee to monitor and regulate activities in the mining sector in the state.

“All illegal mining activities must stop immediately. Henceforth, all illegal mining syndicates will be arrested and prosecuted,” he said

The Governor also lamented the effect of illegal mining in the state, stressing that many of its citizens had lost their lives to the activities.

“Osun State has been subjected to intense environmental degradation arising from activities of mining companies. River Osun has been polluted and our people are dying as related sicknesses are spreading. These are sad realities which none of the mining companies has raised a finger to address,” he said.

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