Ajimobi: says attention must shift to minerals

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state announced today a two-pronged action plan to tap revenue from agriculture and solid minerals  at a forum of stakeholders in Ibadan.

While speaking on his administration’s efforts at improving the state’s internally-generated revenue, Ajimobi said an arrangement had been concluded to also shift attention to mining activities as money spinner.

“The mining sector will be critically looked into as there are federal and state’s laws that stipulate the need for miners to get government’s approval before embarking on mining activities”, he said.

The governor said that henceforth, approval for mining activities by mining agents should be sought from the state government through traditional rulers in the affected communities .

“Government agencies will be visiting communities to enlighten royal fathers and community people on ways to go about this without undermining the necessary inputs of the government as it had always been”.

The traditional rulers who attended the  consultative meeting included the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, the Onipetu of Ijeru, Oba Sunday Oyediran, the Akibio of Ilora, Oba Stephen Oyeniyi and the representative of the Soun of Ogbomoso, Chief Samuel Sobaloju. Also, local chiefs, local government transition committee chairmen and other stakeholders in the 33 local council areas of the state were in attendance.