By Damilola Oni
Officials of Segilola Operating Resource Limited were on Wednesday at the Osun House of Assembly to intimate the State lawmakers of their mining activities within the Ijesha axis of the State.
The team led by Austin Menegbo, the Country Manager, said his company will next year commence mining operation in Odo-Ijesha, Iperindo and Imogbara communities in Atakumosa East Local Government Area of Osun.
Menegbo explained that the survey and mapping of the area the mining operations would take place had been carried out between July 2019 and January 2020.
He said a ‘community development agreement’ was also entered into with their host communities where modalities, benefits and welfare of host communities were fashioned out.
Mrs Madhurii Sarkar-Amoda, the company’s Community Development and Stakeholders Manager, further stated that 212 land owners and 790 asset owners connected to the mining lands are being identified and compensated.
She said scholarship for vulnerable in the hosting communities, programmes for project affected persons, donation of food items to the vulnerable during covid-19 lockdown, livelihood restoration plan and other incentives were done and being put in place to compensate and help the people of the host communities.
In his remarks, the Speaker, Timothy Owoeye commended SROL for the huge investment in the State saying the House of Assembly will do all that it can to protect it without impeding on the rights of the host communities.
“When we noticed a problem between the company and their host communities, after we received a petition from the hosting communities, the house quickly intervened.”
“We also discover that there is a lacuna between the federal and the state laws, because the law of the land stipulates that the Federal Government has exclusive power, in terms of mining, not putting into consideration the state that would host whoever that want to invest in mining.
“The assembly will, however, come up with a law that will regulate the activities of miners in the state and at the same time, encourage investors to come to the state for business, because Osun is a peaceful state.” he said.
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