Ogun State Government has threatened to sanction miners and dredgers in the state for exposing residents to danger of environmental degradation, asking them to operate responsibly.
Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Environment, Ola Oresanya spoke Thursday, when he visited a gully erosion site that came about due to mining activities in Sango, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state.
According to Oresanya, government has discovered that “a lot of irresponsible extractions have been done in several parts of the state,” leading to gully erosion.
The Special Adviser directed that miners and dredgers must embark on Environmental Impact Assessment before any operations, adding that they must register with the State’s Ministry of Environment for proper monitoring.
He charged them to always have dust-control devices, especially “those sculpting seriously”, stressing that roads being destroyed by their operations must be maintained.
“The cost of restoring the degradation they do to the environment is more than the money they pay to the federal government for their licenses,” Oresanya regretted.
He warned that gully erosion would continue if irresponsible mining and dredging activities were not checked, saying, “The state government will no longer tolerate it, whether they are licensed by the federal government or not.”
While stating that mining and dredging are on the exclusive list, Oresanya said the State government has a duty to protect the lives and property of Ogun people from exposure to danger through irresponsible mining.
“They cannot extract almost at a vertical strip and have people’s houses falling into gouge. We will not tolerate it,” Oresanya warned, adding that the State “is ready to work with the Federal Government to ensure total compliance and ensure strict adherence to environmental regulations and standards.”
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