Mining: Osun Assembly to enact law protecting host communities

The Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, on Thursday, said the state would enact a law that would protect the interest of communities where mining activities are taking place in the state.

Owoeye spoke on the sideline of the plenary session held with Segilola Resource Limited, a mining company that is about to commence operation in Odo-Ijesha, Iperindo and Imogbara communities in Atakumosa East Local Government Area of Osun State.

He explained that the purpose of summoning the mining company was to resolve the grievances their host communities were having with them in terms of compensation for their land which had been taken over for their mining activities.

According to Owoeye, “it is one of the primary function of the legislative arm to intervene in any activity within its jurisdiction and I want to tell the good people of the state that the existence and investment of Segilola Resource Limited are good for the state.

“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 noticed that the host communities felt cheated on the issue of compensation from the company in terms of what the company is trying to do in return for the host communities.

“We have appealed to the communities to remain calm and also for the company to come up with encouraging compensation for the people. We 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.

“Investors rely on the Federal Act on mining and this has not paid any good to the state because when investors do not give compensation, it does not add any value to our state.

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“The assembly will, however, enact a law that will regulate the mining activities in the state and at the same time, encourage investors to come to the state for business, because Osun is a peaceful state”, Owoeye remarked.

Earlier, during the plenary, the Resource Manager of Segilola Resource Limited, Mr Austin Minegbo, who lead other members of his company to the assembly, informed the state lawmakers that proper mining activities were yet to start, saying that it was site construction that is ongoing on the lands.

He maintained that the survey and mapping of the area the mining operations would take place had been carried out between July 2019 and January of 2020, stressing that “community development agreement’ was also entered into with their host communities were modalities, benefits and welfare of host communities were fashioned out.”

In her submission, the company’s Community Development and Stakeholders Manager, Mrs Madhurii Sarker-Amoda, stated that 212 landowners and 790 asset owners connected to the mining lands had been identified and compensation for their property had been worked out.

She said scholarship for vulnerable in the host 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 be put in place to compensate and help the people of their host communities.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE