THE governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has stated that mining activities in the state will not be banned.
Makinde stated this while providing situation reports on the explosion that shook Bodija in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday night.
The incident affected Bodija, Agbowo, Eleyele, and Orogun.
Speaking on the situation, the governor blamed the explosion on unlicensed miners who had hidden explosives in one of Bodija’s buildings.
However, he said that his government was on top of the problem, as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu moved to assist the state.
Makinde also stated that his administration has supplied temporary shelters for the victims and their families.
Asked if he was considering banning mining in the state following the incident, Makinde said, “My approach has been a little bit different.
“I will not go out to ban mining activities because there are people who are legally mining in the state. They may be international investors. You will give the impression that this is a lawless environment where we will not obey our contracts, what we signed with people.
“It is a difficult route to take. When we are swimming through the situation we have found ourselves, we will not have a knee-jerk reaction to the issue.”
